Color correction for CRT vs TV

vitalforce wrote on 5/8/2006, 3:41 PM

I have a film (feature-length WWII love story) edited entirely in Vegas, and put together a 3-minute trailer (in H.264) which I'd like to invite the users to see.

BUT FIRST, I have done the color correction for DVD, to be shown on an NTSC TV screen. On my CRT monitor the picture is a little dark and washed-out, and it hit me that it is likely to look like this if projected digitally in a film-festival theater.

Does anyone have experience in "translating" the master output settings to give a more TV-like luminance and color saturation on CRT or LCD? Once this is done I will put the ego on the old chopping block and post a link to the finished trailer.

Comments

GlennChan wrote on 5/8/2006, 9:13 PM

1- You can check that your levels are correct... usually when you correct for DVD, you want blacks to hit 16 and whites 235. For web/trailers, you want black to hit 0 and whites 255.

To convert, add the Color Corrector filter "studioRGB to computerRGB" preset.

kkolbo wrote on 5/9/2006, 5:36 AM

I don't know any better way than to view it on the actual device. If the consumer will watch it on a TV then you need to monitor the correction on TV. If it for computer, then you need to monitor it on computer. Unforunately, LCD vs CRT is a pain. For HD, I normally correct fo LCD.

DVD can have a higher dynamic range than broadcast. Your DVD can run the 0-255. The 16-234 is for analog broadcast.

vitalforce wrote on 5/9/2006, 12:36 PM

Thanks glennchan, so simple, that's how experts make it look. You remind me I have to order the color correction DVD.

And likewise, thanks kkolbo for that tip. I could exactly duplicate a festival preview, maybe, by using a digital projector but they are d*mned expensive. Sounds like a flat-screen LCD monitor will give me a closer idea than a CRT-tube monitor.