Color grading question

Eugenia wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:11 PM
Hi,
I would like to know how to achieve the following with Vegas (and possibly also using the freeware Aav6cc vector color plugin).

I would like to take a whole "family" of colors that are situated close at the color wheel (e.g. red, yellow, brown, orange) and then have them all get a tint of "orange". Is this even possible to have a whole family of colors tinted at once towards a particular shade of color?

Please note that the "Color Corrector Secondary" plugin does NOT do what I want, so please don't suggest that. I need something that's much smoother and "intelligent". I want to replicate Magic Bullet for Editor's "CSI:Miami" look you see, where every red-ish color gets more "orange-y" without making the whole picture orange (so blacks, blues, greens, whites etc are all unaltered, and only the red-ish colors are getting tinted orange-y).

Any ideas?

Comments

GlennChan wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:21 PM
Using the 3-Way CC:
Drag the middle and right color wheels in the direction of the tint you want. Usually you want to pick two slightly different colors... that looks better (like stepwise sepia toning).

Lower the saturation slider... this stops the image from looking too saturated.

2- You can also get a different effect via the color curves and the color gradient.

Grazie wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:27 PM
. .and once you have got a chain of grading you like, save 'em as a Preset Chain - MyCSILook - and you can recall them any time in the future! Not only can you recall them but you can also infinitely readjust and re-name and so on. You could have 10s of "MyCSILooks" and invoke them at will! - Of course, you can call them what you want.

Grazie
busterkeaton wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:29 PM
Secondary color corrector is what you want.

However, to shift three colors you need to apply it three times.

Most other tools work by luminance values (High, Mids, Lows). I don't think HSL Adjust will work by itself. Often you have to use combinations of effects to get the look you want. HSL, Curves, CC, SCC, Gradient would be the ones to play with
Eugenia wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:36 PM
Guys, NO, the plain ColorCorrection plugin does NOT do what I want. It turns *everything* to orange, not just the 1/4 of the color wheel that I want to apply the effect to. And no, the ColorCorrectionSecondary is definitely not what I want, because I am talking about 8 million colors here that I want to affect (1/4 of the color wheel), not 2 or 3. Plus, the CCSecondary plugin tends to create harsh coloring. Also, the gradients are out of the question because they look unatural. Even CSI:Miami uses them only for skyscraper/sky shots only.

Here's the footage I am talking about btw:
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/images/miami.mp4 (5 MB)
Look how MagicBullet is able to turn the whole building on the left to orange, while when I do that, everything turns red in the picture.

Any other ideas?
DJPadre wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:43 PM
try using the sepia tone to kill off some red/orange tons.. i use it extensively for skin "bleaching"
GlennChan wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:43 PM
If you want the exact magic bullet algorithm, then simply use the plug-in. The algorithm is different than the ones that Vegas uses.

If you want something that is close, see the options presented in this thread.

2- To see what the magic bullet filter does, you could apply it to a black to white gradient. It looks like it affects *all* hues (and greys)... where the strength of the tint is dependent on "luminance" (however luminance is defined).

From what I remember it wasn't the same as color curves... but maybe it uses RGB curves, I could be wrong.
Grazie wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:46 PM
Colour Curves. G

Sorry, Glenn got back . . I bet CCurves would do the "warmth" thing? I've made quite complex, curves, points and tangents to make subtle changes in Warmth to Cool.

Thanks for posting the examples! At least we know what we are punching at! Makes communications better.

. ..


Eugenia wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:48 PM
>then simply use the plug-in

Well, duh. I am asking this question here because I was told that it doesn't worth its money, while I begged to differ:
http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/09/16/more-on-the-csimiami-look/

Original thread here:
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=548510&Replies=21

BTW, the plugin I propose (divide the colorwheel to 4/8/12 pieces and then tint these colors belong to the selected piece towards another color) could be a VERY useful plugin! Someone could charge good money for it.
Grazie wrote on 9/16/2007, 11:57 PM
I also notice in the MB example, a slight darkening of the top right quadrant. Is that meant?

Grazie
farss wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:00 AM
The other trick is to mask the effect e.g. Secondary CC.
If you only want it to work over a certain luma value then the MinMax FX is your friend, combine that with the mask generator and with a bit of imagination and compositing you go do wonders, even power windows, minus the trackers.
Not as convenient as having it in one plug but there's not a lot Vegas cannot do, if you put your mind to it and if you don't want to pay the dollars.....ya gotta use your noodle.


Bob.
busterkeaton wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:00 AM
I should have known not to try and help Eugenia.

Anyway, have you ever noticed that the color wheel doesn't list millions of different colors? That it only lists six? Did you ever wonder about that?

Anyhow, with color curves and a single secondary CC filter, I got it looking pretty darn tropical in about 7 min. Probably would take a second secondary filter to finish it.
Eugenia wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:07 AM
Please show us a before and after shot and the list of modifications you did. Thanks.
busterkeaton wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:09 AM
Perhaps, when you stop being rude in the forums.

Anyway, I applied the Crime Lab: South Beach filter to see how the pros did it and, voila, they used only Color Corrector and Curves.

I liked the way the greens looked in theirs.
Grazie wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:11 AM
Can you post a still? Would make time easier for me? - G
Eugenia wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:12 AM
>Perhaps, when you stop being rude in the forums.

Sorry, I am just tired with the whole thing, have been working on it all night.

>Crime Lab: South Beach

Wait. The whole original discussion is to create the Magic Bullet "Miami" look with Vegas' built in tools and the freeware Aav6cc plugin, not external third party plugins. Can it be done with Vegas and Aav6cc? This is my question...
GlennChan wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:12 AM
I also notice in the MB example, a slight darkening of the top right quadrant. Is that meant?
MB also has an option to emulate ND grads.

You can do this in Vegas.
Grazie wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:14 AM
BK? Where he be? Crime Lab: South Beach?

TIA,

Grazie
busterkeaton wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:15 AM
Can it be done in Vegas? Yes.
Can it be done with Vegas and Aav6cc. If you wish.
Can it be done in Vegas and without Aav6cc? Yup.
Eugenia wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:17 AM
How exactly? This is what I am asking! Please provide details! Thanks.
busterkeaton wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:18 AM
Grazie, you know our friend from Utah? Remember that script he wrote?

It's in there.
Grazie wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:20 AM
Yes, that would be handy for our friend too. Having a darker area makes the coloured areas visually more intensive too - I guess? I'm calling upon my ancient Art History here! Didn't think that would come in use 40 years later. Huh!!!

So, the Vegas ND emulations - Masks I'm guessing - would also assist the visual intensity of the remaining colours? I guess? Some kind of contrasty thing going on? Yes?

Any way, I'm going to have a go at this when our friend Eugenia posts a still.

Regards

Grazie
Eugenia wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:25 AM
I have posted the whole vegas project, m2t and mp4 and youtube version to have a look. I am not sure what "still" you are after exactly. Please check the links above, I have the whole project uploaded to see what I did during my efforts.

I am just trying the CCSecondary btw (with 1/2/3 instances), and as expected, it does not work well. The building on the right turns to an extremely harsh orange and it takes with it the statues, while MBullet does not do that.
busterkeaton wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:29 AM
This Stradivarius must be out of tune! It sounds awful when I play it!
Eugenia wrote on 9/17/2007, 12:30 AM
Instead of being sarcastic, you could instead share your knowledge on how to do what you claim that it can be done. I am all earrs. I am serious, I am waiting for your mini-tutorial.