This is my last instalment of the getting the right colour series.
The first read is the explanation of recording settings
https://interceptor121.com/2018/08/13/panasonic-gh5-demystifying-movie-recording-settings/
This post has been quite popular as it applies generally to the GH5 not just for underwater work.
The second article is about getting the best colours
And then of course the issue of white balance
Am not getting into ambient light filters but there are articles on that too.
Now I wanted to discuss editing as I see many posts on line that are plain incorrect. As it is true for photos you don’t edit just looking at an histogram. The histogram is a representation of the average of the image and this is not the right approach to create strong images or videos.
You need to know how the tools work in order to do the appropriate exposure corrections and colour corrections but it is down to you to decide the look you want to achieve.
I like my imaging video or still to be strong with deep blue and generally dark that is the way I go about it and is my look however the tools can be used to have the look you prefer for your materials.
In this YouTube tutorial I explain how to edit and grade footage produced buy the camera and turn it into something I enjoy watching time and time again.
I called this clip Underwater Video Colour Correction Made Easy as it is not difficult to obtain pleasing colours if you followed all the steps.
A few notes just to anticipate possible questions
- Why are you not looking to have the Luma or the RGB parades at 50% of the scale?
50% of the IRE scale is for neutral grey 18% I do not want my footage to look washed out which is what happens if you aim at 50%.
2. Is it important to execute the steps in sequence?
Yes. Camera LUT should be applied before grading as they normalise the gamma curve. In terms of correction steps setting the correct white balance has an influence on the RGB curves and therefore needs to be done before further grading is carried out.
3. Why don’t you correct the overall saturation?
Most of the highlights and shadows are in the light grey or dark grey areas. Saturating those can lead to clipping or noise.
4. Is there a difference between using corrections like Vibrancy instead of just saturation?
Yes saturation shifts equally the colours towards higher intensity vibrancy tends to stretch the colours in both direction.
5. Can you avoid an effect LUT and just get the look you want with other tools?
Yes this is entirely down to personal preference.
6. My footage straight from camera does not look like yours and I want it to look good straight away.
That is again down to personal preference however if you crush the blacks or clip the highlights or introduce a hue by clipping one of the RGB channels this can no longer be remediated.
I hope you find this useful wishing all my followers a Merry Xmas and Happy 2020.
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