I don't have to tell anyone that Vegas Video is loaded with lots of cool features. One that has little documentation is the Color Curve FX filter. Let me preface what I'm about to say with mentioning that I've spent thousands of hours using Photoshop and almost alway tinker with that application's curves feature to bring out the best from still images. Vegas Video has a Color Curve adjustment that can do similar things. Very cool time saver once you get the hang of it. The worse your source material, the more you'll appreciate how easily it can be to alter your video, adjusting midtones, hightlights and shadows.
NOTE: If your videos are like mine, they vary from scene to scene as to what may need fixing up. So if you're a purist, you need to make adjustments one section at a time by dragging the filters to the timeline rather then applying the effect to the entire movie by dragging it to the preview window which apply effects to the whole video.
What follows is a quick tip to correct a washed out scene applying what's commonly called an "S" curve. Begin by selecting a small area on the timeline for an area of the video you want to experiment with. Click on the Loop Playback button, next click on the Video FX tab, select Color Curves, dragging 'color curves' from the menu and dropping on the event on the timeline section you just isolated. This bypasses the preset menu. We're going beyond that.
You should see a white box with a diagonal line running from the lower left bottom up to the upper right top. Locate your best guess for the center on that line within the box. Right click on SET POINT to place a tiny square in the center.
NOTE to SoFo: Would be nice if the color curve box had grid lines like in Photoshop.
Click play to start the preview. While watching the preview window slowly drag the box you just created on the line in a NorthWest direction, then try moving it slightly SouthEast. As you drag you'll see the line swings on a axis and moves as a curve. By making a set pointnear the center you anchor the midtones and can move pixels in the shadows and highlights areas without over effecting the pixels that fall within in the midrange. If you place the point either further up or lower on the line you can effect shadows or highlights more than the other. Of course you can set multiple points and only effect a small range. Remember a little adjustment goes a long way.
Now, about that "S" curve to help correct a washed out video.
Set another point about half way between the center point and the lower left end of the line. Add another point about half way between the center point and the upper right top along the line. SLOWLY drag the bottom point towards the SouthEast as you watch the preview. Remember easy does it! Now drag the point on top to the NorthWest. Again, just a little does it, watch the preview. Don't over do it.
The curve you just created should look like a very, very flat "S" with only the top and bottom ends having any curve to it with the remainer of the line having just a very slight curve if any. Finish by dragging the center dot either upwards or downwards or at a slight angle either up and towards the NW for a ligher image or downwards and towards the SE for a darker effect.
As you may have guessed this is just one of many "curve" adjustments you can make. I suggest to start with adjusting RGB which effect all colors equally. If you want to get even more advanced you can adjust each color channel alone.
This is really offered more for beginners. RARELY if ever do you want to adjust brightness or contrast. NEVER if want absolute control! Using levels and curves will always give superior results. Why? Because unlike brightness and contrast, you have full control over the range of pixels your apply an adjustment do. That's not possible adjusting the brightness and contrast.
Here's a simple way to adjust skin tones that works much better than using color balance. We'll use curves again. Select the blue channel. Set a point at the center like you did for the "S" curve. Moving towards the NorthWest will give "cooler" (bluer) skin tones. Moving towards the SouthEast will give warmer (more yellow) skin tones. Of course the same effect works for non skin tone objects. You can also adjust the red channel. I just prefer the blue.
NOTE: If your videos are like mine, they vary from scene to scene as to what may need fixing up. So if you're a purist, you need to make adjustments one section at a time by dragging the filters to the timeline rather then applying the effect to the entire movie by dragging it to the preview window which apply effects to the whole video.
What follows is a quick tip to correct a washed out scene applying what's commonly called an "S" curve. Begin by selecting a small area on the timeline for an area of the video you want to experiment with. Click on the Loop Playback button, next click on the Video FX tab, select Color Curves, dragging 'color curves' from the menu and dropping on the event on the timeline section you just isolated. This bypasses the preset menu. We're going beyond that.
You should see a white box with a diagonal line running from the lower left bottom up to the upper right top. Locate your best guess for the center on that line within the box. Right click on SET POINT to place a tiny square in the center.
NOTE to SoFo: Would be nice if the color curve box had grid lines like in Photoshop.
Click play to start the preview. While watching the preview window slowly drag the box you just created on the line in a NorthWest direction, then try moving it slightly SouthEast. As you drag you'll see the line swings on a axis and moves as a curve. By making a set pointnear the center you anchor the midtones and can move pixels in the shadows and highlights areas without over effecting the pixels that fall within in the midrange. If you place the point either further up or lower on the line you can effect shadows or highlights more than the other. Of course you can set multiple points and only effect a small range. Remember a little adjustment goes a long way.
Now, about that "S" curve to help correct a washed out video.
Set another point about half way between the center point and the lower left end of the line. Add another point about half way between the center point and the upper right top along the line. SLOWLY drag the bottom point towards the SouthEast as you watch the preview. Remember easy does it! Now drag the point on top to the NorthWest. Again, just a little does it, watch the preview. Don't over do it.
The curve you just created should look like a very, very flat "S" with only the top and bottom ends having any curve to it with the remainer of the line having just a very slight curve if any. Finish by dragging the center dot either upwards or downwards or at a slight angle either up and towards the NW for a ligher image or downwards and towards the SE for a darker effect.
As you may have guessed this is just one of many "curve" adjustments you can make. I suggest to start with adjusting RGB which effect all colors equally. If you want to get even more advanced you can adjust each color channel alone.
This is really offered more for beginners. RARELY if ever do you want to adjust brightness or contrast. NEVER if want absolute control! Using levels and curves will always give superior results. Why? Because unlike brightness and contrast, you have full control over the range of pixels your apply an adjustment do. That's not possible adjusting the brightness and contrast.
Here's a simple way to adjust skin tones that works much better than using color balance. We'll use curves again. Select the blue channel. Set a point at the center like you did for the "S" curve. Moving towards the NorthWest will give "cooler" (bluer) skin tones. Moving towards the SouthEast will give warmer (more yellow) skin tones. Of course the same effect works for non skin tone objects. You can also adjust the red channel. I just prefer the blue.