CC tips

U

USLatin

Panamaniac
I just finished CCing a 10min film but I think I could have gotten more out of the color. I just started looking at the Vectroscope and Waveform which helped me match clips but I barely know how to CC and would love it if someone guided me a bit.

I was adjusting the Gamma curves and then offsetting the clips to darken them back up. I found that this way I could bring out some of the detail in the shadows but I am not sure if this is the way to "increase the dynamic range". How can you do that?

Does the Vectroscope help when trying to get the strongest signal possible? Is there something one can do to make the clips look as vibrant as primetime TV shot with 2/3 chip digital cameras? Or was all of that to be had in the lighting which we lacked on this project?

Is there a series of steps I should take for every clip before I do my own thing to them?

EDIT: besides getting a pro monitor or at least getting a little CRT for contrast and color, is there something else that should be considered?
 
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Hey, yea... lots of low light stuff.... My main concern is the first shot in the apartment. But Inotice noise all over. I know the small CCDs simple ARE noisy but I am wondering if there is something I could do to get rid of some of it in post without killing the focus with softness like the built in noise reduction FX in Vegas does with the second to smallest increment of 0.012. If I set it to 0.006 I don't really notice much but I might go for it as it doesn't soften too much.

I used Barry's Coral scene file throughout.

I have it uploaded here:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=110243
 
Hey USLATIN, I'm about at the same place as you are so I don't have any CC'ing tips. But I will give you a great tip about posting on DVXUser (or any indy filmmaking forum for that matter). Never EVER ask a question about something film-related and then tell everyone that you did not have good lighting and/or good sound. Instead of people answering your question, they will lecture you extensively about the importance of good lighting and good sound and then tell you that "that is the reason why you're screwed". Instead of, of course, doing the right thing and trying to help you with what you have now (nobody seems to understand that you can't go back in time and relight the project). I'm telling you, never give these guys a chance to lecture you on lighting. They will take complete advantage of it, believe me.

Anyway, fwiw, I do 50% of my CC'ing with the levels filter. I always add a little saturation to bring out the colors (or take them away if that's what I'm going for). And then I fool around with the "color corrector" if I want to give the shot an overall tint.

What I would like to have control over more than anything is individual parts of the frame (so I could bring up the red in someone's shirt without bringing up the red in the red flowers behind her). I do not know how to do that or think it can be done in Vegas.
 
Mhe... I don't mind being lectured, I actually need that stuff... I am a learning noob :D

Also, I thought mentioning that we had only available lighting might help in them seeing that I might have already pushed it close to the limits and then might be able to tell me how to push it further if there is something I am missing.

You can do that if the colors are different enough by selecting the color you want to change with the "Color Corrector (secondary)" and then using the saturation luminosity and the other thing, lol, all with the mask turned on so you can see how to select the whole shirt or flower without the other, then you can manipulate those pixels individually with the sliders on the top... I used it a bit to try to bring out the blood on the shots of the bodies after making the whole thing blue with a mix of Berlin on Magic Bullet and several other things... check it out it is a must have in your arsenal. Just what you are looking for. Hope that helps!
 
Another CC newb here. I use Nattress spatial noise reduction and his levels (mostly to tweak the white curve) together both in conjunction with the 3waycc to reduce noise and get my overall balance- doing it all in FCP. I'm sure Color may have better tools but I haven't figured out how to use it effectively yet. The grain reduction filter in Color seems to work alright, but again, I don't know what I'm doing enough not to soften all the edges a little too much using it.

lol- sorry wasnt looking at the forum this came from, obviously (browsing new posts)
 
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I find that one can take care of almost everything related to CC and basic grading using curves. The amount of control that one tool gives you is amazing.

That said, I normally don't use it for anything color related, I just use it for gamma adjustments. I'm downloading your movie now and I'll edit this post later after watching it.
 
Awesome! I can't wait for your post William!!

But sorry I posted before you edited... I can't hold back... your post got me confused and interested in what you are saying:

What do you mean by curves? I know you can mess with the individual RGB curves is that it? Where is that in V7? That could be really cool... I personally have been messing mostly with the curves together with the offset, the unsharpening mask, secondary color corrector, and most of the Magic Bullet stuff though I haven't quite figured it all it's dials yet I have used grads, contrast, saturation, adding colors (that's how I brought back the bridge stuff from a hell-like red from the available lights) and I also used the black and white diffusion... the templates are really sweet too... I used Berlin for the dead bodies but I added a ton of stuff on top of it... all trial and error and headaches
 
That's the name of it?

HOLY MOLLY!!! That's gonna hurt my brain!
It gives you a ton of control! Just on the RGB curve itself cause you can shape it instead of just bend it..... MAN!

I shoul'da gotten into this one instead.... but the learning curve must be a lot flatter... I mean I get the graph and what it means but to get to the point where you can do this proficiently is gonna take a lot of trial and error!

SICK! Thanks William and David!!!
 
Glad another door is opened for you. I don't have any time right now to get into specifics, but I watched your short (nice job) and I'll see if I cannot get in depth tomorrow morning. Before I write anything, is there a particular look your are going for? Do you want it stylized or just generally corrected?

Think you can upload two or three 720p grabs for me? Otherwise I'll just screen capture some from the QT movei.
 
Is there a way to keep blood that I saturated with the secondary CC from dancing as it plays? I am sure it has to do with exposure since the flashlight beam is moving, plus even if everything was still there still is the noise in the original which might bring pixels in and out of the range... so I guess there really isn't a way especially with something like hand held shot of a splatter of shiny liquid drops with a flashlight's beam moving in the frame... will it be acceptable?

Oh, good idea David thanks, I'll make sure and look at the waveform as I start to get into it... man my head is going to expode, muahahahah... lol (I had 30min of sleep last night and I want to work, not good)

Thank you William, and sure thing... which would you like?
In the beginning I was going for a style with a bleach bypass on most of it other than the "happy moments" but that intent disappeared as we really loved the color from the HVX in Coral... lol I guess I just want it to match and look seamless as possible within scenes... but there are a few different looks...


The feelings for the CC:

The apartment... pretty/cool looking, whatever but a good opener

The sisters murder... RED, blood

The cemetery... natural with a touch of extra color, achieved by the Coral

The first grave visit... this was shot in deep magic hour as was the second visit... they each have their own look thoguht the first is more natural and the second is complete deranged wacko

The playground.... a bit more saturated when Chris comes in the picture as this is a "happy moment"

The pizza place... a bit dreamy with diffusion but not much, and warm, it has an orange grad

The candy shop... real saturated as this is her weird childish thing that she does

Matt looking at them... a bit dead, boring, unsaturated

The bridge again... something is up, but not red like the sister...this has to be different, more of a "normal" take ont he bridge, though something IS up

Matt looking at them here... scary, as creepy as possible

Flashbacks... I am happy with those, so that's what I was going for

The second grave visit... her mind... her deranged mind, the way she thinks

The car... back to real life

The bodies... I just want to shock, if at all possible...
 
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Just give me untouched grabs from the three scenes you want help with most. I cannot promise anything here, as I am still learning, but I love to grade so I'll have a go.
 
Hey USAlatincontent, I'm not trying to take over your thread but it's about cc I thought I would post here. Here's a frame grab from a small project I'm working on... I want a natural rich film-look. Could you vegas experts please do some cc on the grabs if you have time and possibly share your settings with me. I suck at color correcting and yet I'm pressed on time for this project. Most of the shots are outdoors so I will just go with one look except some minor tweaking on individual clips.
 
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