question on eyedroppers

tfc wrote on 2/9/2004, 3:34 PM
I'm a little confused about exactly how to use the two eyedroppers in the color correction f/x. I know one is adjustment and one is complementary. I've read about each, but I would like to know from a practical standpoint, how is each one actually used. Can someone explain in what situations you would use adjustment vs. complementary. How do you know which one to use in a given situation? Any and all information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Comments

farss wrote on 2/9/2004, 3:52 PM
Have you had a look at BillyBoys tutorials?

I've only ever used the subtract eyedropper, say I want to correct the white highlights, using white highlight "-" eyedropper select an area of white highlight, job done.

Must admit I can't quite figure out what I'd use the "+" eyedropper tool for. For all I know I'm doing the whole thing wrong but the results look good, not perfect but vastly better than they do without CC.

Maybe where one would use the "+" is to match say the whites between two shots, that's a trick I've yet to figure out.
BillyBoy wrote on 2/9/2004, 5:08 PM
Most of the FX filters have how-to built in. For example open the color corrector. Within the Color Corrector's workspace (NOT the main tool bar) click on the Question Mark at the upper right. Also in regular help enter Color correction for example.

The left eyedroppers under each of the color wheels in Color Corrector (the minus dropper) does what's called color complement. It other words it adds the complement (opposite) of the color you clicked on to offset the hue you're trying to remove by removing its color cast by balancing to its opposite on the other side the color wheel. See my tutorial # 3 which gives another way to do it that I wrote before Vegas 4.

So for example if your shadows have too much of a color, lets say blue, use the minus eyedropper and click on a very dark area (to find your black point) and the wheel will jump to the complement color (more towards red, probably somewhere between Y1 and R) that should result in making that the darkest color or very close to black. So in effect you're removing blue from the shaodws by blending in red which results in them canceling out each other hopefully resulting in blacks with no color cast.

Repeat on the high wheel clicking on a bright spot to remove any color cast to the highlights.

The plus eyedropper is mainly used to sample a color you want to add. So if you want your image more redish use this eye dropper to sample something ALREADY reddish in your image and the value you click on gets added overall making everything more red.

You can also do it freehand just moving the setting on the color wheels. Generally you shouldn't tough the middle color wheel until you get the low and high correct. Then frequently you won't need to use the middle whell that much.