For "non professional" use, stick with 'if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it' approach. That said, I fiddle with ALL the FX filters and just eye ball it. Why? Because I have vast experience with Photoshop and over the years I can instantly spot when something is 'off' and thus quickly fix it. Again, if it looks OK, more than likely you'll mess it up so don't fiddle unless you know what you're trying to accomplish. If you stick with levels and curves (manual) no presets please!!! then you'll be fine, in my never humble opinion.

The following was posted on the COW forum. I feel bad not being able to say WHO posted it. Someone certainly deserves some credit. When I read it I just copied it into a text file for later reference, so I didn't need the name. Anyway, here it is:

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.

Curious. You saw it posted in the COW forum? Its my original post HERE in this forum under my previous posting nick, WGS. Not that I'm looking for credit, just wondering who posted it word for word somewhere else. LOL!

Anyways the color curve feature can be very useful. Just remember a little goes a long way. What I did was create several "custom curves" for various conditions that pop up all the time, like over exposed, too washed out, etc., then named each filter, saved them, then they appear right along side the regular presets.

Here's how to make your own custom preset filters: Very simple:

1. Drop any video onto timeline and open up a Video FX filter like color curves.

2. Ignore the presets and instead highlight the words 'color curves', dragging to the timeline and let go.

3. This should open a new window. Hint: drag the borders of this new window to be sure you can see the entire curve line which by default runs from lower bottom left to upper extreme right. Otherwise the bottom portion will not be visible and you won't be able to adjust correctly.

4. Proceed like in the original post details.

5. Once you're happy with the result, give your new custom filter a name and type it in the preset title box replacing the default untitled.

That's all there is to it. Now the next time you open the color curve filter it will include your custom ones in the preset list! I've made several "S" curves of varying strength from weak to strong a long with a bunch of others. Just drag whatever one you need to the timeline and you'll save yourself a lot of repeated effort. If necessary you can tweak a minor amount as needed.

Billyboy,
Do you think the color curves filter would work to correct color under stage lighting?
Also, Are there any general color curve rules you use if the final dub will be to VHS?

Thanks,
John

You may have good success if you work on one color channel at a time and set multiple set points. The effect is close to what you can do in Photoshop with the main difference being in Photoshop you set points which lock a range of pixels, generally the midtones while dragging elements of the curve upwards or downwards.

In Vegas you begin by setting a point near the middle of the line the filter opens with then prepare to make a curve by placing a second set point about 1/4 from the bottom to alter shadows and another set point about 3/4 up the line to alter highlights. CAREFULLY drag the set points in a arc up and to the left or down and to the right to alter contrast in the video. The smaller square after setting set points can also arc around the set points you placed on the curve. It is easier to do then it sounds.

I've had some good success making large improvements by applying multiple curves. The overall control offerd by multiple channels is far greater then applying one curve under the RGB channel itself. Stick with the RBG channel to adjust contrast, as a first step, then move on to seperate color channels to alter the color range.

You need to drag the curve filter to the timeline multiple times, once for each channel you adjust, remembering the filters are culumaltive, so it takes a some trial and error. Like in Photoshop curves are probably the most powerful filter you can use and they offer the greatest amount of control but take very small steps. Dragging a curve just a very small amount can have a major effect. You can also use curves to make tonal changes which in my opinion work far better then trying to adjust color balance. There are no hard and fast rules I'm aware of. Buried in the online help for Photoshop are some basics on simple curves and what they do.

For example several of the test videos people have posted to the sample site are a little washed out. Applying a simple "S" curve (using RGB channel) can add the needed contrast. The result is pixels in the highlight area are decreased to lighten the highlights, while the pixels in the shadows are increased to darken shadows. Midtones are left by setting the center set point which prevents pixels falling in the mid range from being altered. The basic "S" curve sets a point at the mid point of the line with another set point roughly 3/4 down and 1/4 up along the original line. These set points are then "pushed out" in a minor curve that looks like a very flatened "S", hence the name. Applying the inverse corrects images that have too much contrast.

Once you have proper contrast, then you can adjust the seperate color channels to alter hue. Try dragging the mid point in a arc up and to the left or down and to the right while watching the real time changes in the preview window. If necessary you can add additional points to drag the curve to make more minor adjustments anywhere along the curve line.