Correcting Exposure

24Peter wrote on 10/23/2003, 6:11 PM
I shot some footage recently in which my subject's faces are under-exposed compared to the the background (classic backlight situation). The background is not overexposed. How do I use Vegas to adjust the brightness (luminance) of the under-exposed areas only? I don't want to blow out my background but the subject's faces are too dark (and slightly desaturated color-wise).

Comments

farss wrote on 10/23/2003, 6:53 PM
Try the color curves and have a look through here:

http://www.wideopenwest.com/%7Ewvg/tutorial-menu.htm

In extreme situations you may find that nothing can be done without making things look worse.
johnmeyer wrote on 10/23/2003, 7:33 PM
The gamma control in the Color Corrector fX may do what you want. It affects the midtones while leaving the highights and shadows relatively untouched. The curves control gives you much more control over what portion of the luma you're going to change, but it takes longer to get everything just right.
24Peter wrote on 10/24/2003, 6:48 PM
Thanks for your replies. The color curves and saturation adjust filters seemed to work OK. I had to be careful though (esp. with the saturation) b/c they add noise. Still, I don't think I'll have to reshoot those scenes which is a good thing. BTW I can see it's definitely important for me to spend more time lighting my scenes. Good news is, I'm shooting at the same location this weekend and will be better prepared.
BillyBoy wrote on 10/24/2003, 7:17 PM
Just so you know... color correction is both simpler and much better in version 4.
musicvid10 wrote on 10/24/2003, 8:06 PM
A couple of reflectors, which can be as simple as big sheets of white posterboard, can add a lot of punch to backlit scenes.

The biggest mistake, and the one usually made, is to overluminate the faces, making the shot look artificial and stark.

A respected 20th century still photographer once said, " Your task is to illuminate the shadows, not eliminate them."