How to- Restore Whites?

Steve Mann wrote on 8/9/2005, 5:55 PM
I have a camera (a single-chip Sony) that I normally just use as a DV deck, but for a stage performance I shot, I put it into the catwalk pointing down on the stage. I have some great cutaway footage of when the performers are doing a choreographed number, but there's a problem with the image that I never noticed before. Looking at the histogram and trying to match the other cameras, the camera doesn't put out anything higher than 230 IRE. I can add gain, move the gamma offset, but the best I can get is 245 for whites.

Any tips at correcting this in post would be appreciated. I'll check the camera against a chart before I use it again, but I need to try to salvage the footage I have.

Steve Mann

Comments

MH_Stevens wrote on 8/9/2005, 10:53 PM
Would help to see the histogram but playing with the gain/gamma and the color corrector should get you somewhere. Use the levels control or curves control to drag the histogram to the right side and flaten out the top getting as much of the signal as you can around 80%. Then use the color corrector to make your white highlights white. If the original footage is as poor as you say then the results will likely be washed out and grainy. You may be forced to leave the clip dark to cover this.



Grazie wrote on 8/10/2005, 12:12 AM
n19093, I've emailed you - G
Steve Mann wrote on 8/10/2005, 12:38 AM
I think that the camera blew out the whites. I had to leave it on auto because I wouldn't be in the catwalk when the lights came on. It doesn't have any AE+/- or presets, so it's not any setting problem. I don't normally use it, and wasn't planning to use any of the shots, but they would add to the production. This particular director likes lots of follow-spots and colors, so the stage is washed with red and the talent is lit with white spots. Challenging even for my PD-150.

Steve Mann
GlennChan wrote on 8/10/2005, 7:26 AM
The Sony should have a spotlight AE mode that does an AE shift down. It's appropriate for this situation, although ideally you'd want AE to underexpose even more (because whites are still probably burning out if high contrast stage lighting is being used).