Getting rid of that "video" look?

Eddy Bee wrote on 10/22/2009, 2:25 PM
I'm fairly new to video production and editing, so I hope this doesn't seem like a stupid question.

In some of the videos I've been working on, I use certain effects like NewBlue's metalic effect, or various particle dissolves, etc. For the most part, these effects look good when played on a computer.

But when I play the same videos on a TV screen (standard CRT TV), some of these effects take on a very distinct "video" look - similar to some early 80s music videos that used digital effects, such as "You Might Think" by the Cars. I don't know how else to describe the look, other than distinctly video, and rather cheesy video at that.

So I suppose I have two questions:

1. Why is there a difference in the way these effects appear when played on a computer versus a TV?

2. Is there something I can do in Vegas to mitigate or minimize the "video" look?

Incidentally, I'm working with 29.97i SD video.
Many thanks in advance.

Comments

farss wrote on 10/22/2009, 7:01 PM
Do you ever see such effects used in movies?
I do recall music videos from the period you mention that were shot on film and they looked exactly as described, cheesy. They haven't matured with age either.
The higher costs of shooting film tends to cause very skilled people to be involved in the production. Subtle use of lighting, costume, camera moves etc all contribute to the differences in the look of the final product.
There's nothing to stop video from looking as good as film or at least darn close to it. Take some time to study how movies are lit, it all starts with lighting.

To answe your questions:

1) Possibly your computer monitor is not calibrated. In fact most computer monitors cannot be calibrated to look like a CRT. Just the size an image is viewed at makes a difference too.

2) Avoid using overt effects would be a good start. Try watching something filmic on your computer monitor. Study it. Try making your video look like it. Color Curves are good to play with. Of course nothing will make as dramatic a difference as ligthing the scene in the first place will.

Bob.