Targeting specific colors to correct/adjust

Kirk wrote on 8/28/2002, 8:48 PM
How to adjust more than one specific color within a frame without affecting overall balance.
I have been able to adjust -one- color at a time by using the "color key" plugin, selecting the color on the top layer to key out with the "eyedropper", and "blurring" the edges. Copying the layer to the track underneath itself, then using the "color balance" to adjust the color/saturation/hue/etc. that then shows through the picture with just one color adjusted in the final picture. How though, can this be done to more than one color at a time?
A typical example might be to desaturate an image overall, yet leave a shade of a tree saturated a shade of green, and a red car saturated as well. I've tried some "parent child" relationships in the compositing modes, but I can't seem to make this happen. Any suggestions? I would of course prefer not to render twice.
Request:I would like to be able to target specific colors to adjust in the final picture. I specifically request an eyedropper function to choose the color to affect according to hue, or saturation, and a width control to fine tune how broad a range of the color to affect, and an "edge soften" to blend. This would be invaluable, and is the way that high end telecine and compositing tools work. Please please please add it. Hell, I'd pay for a plugin that could do it. I even downloaded the plugin toolkit to try to figure out how to write it myself.(Hah!... yeah I looked at it for a few hours...uh...I really appreciate programmers!)

Comments

Kirk wrote on 8/28/2002, 8:49 PM
Uh, that first scentence was supposed to have a question mark on it......guess I should proofread...
SonyEPM wrote on 8/29/2002, 8:59 AM
If you have already tried out levels, color balance, and color curves, you might want to check out the saturation adjust filter in the Vegas plug-in pack, demo here: http://www.sonicfoundry.com/Products/NewShowProduct.asp?PID=682

This is kind of like a "saturation eq"- not exactly replace color(s), but it might get you the look you want.
Kirk wrote on 8/29/2002, 5:13 PM
Thank you. That filter is indeed useful. But it is of course not doing what I posted. Which is to adjust -more than one- specific color individually, not global color correction. Is there a way to create several layers, each dealing with just the color specified, say with a matte, or key of some sort, and composite them together, adjusting the individual layers' intensity? Some sort of work-around? This is a very useful and widely used post technique in commercials. I'm doing it right now on one. The thing is, this is the way that color correction is done on pretty much all the commercials you see on TV to get the right, polished looking, colors. I want to be able to do this in Vegas with preview, instead of After Effects or Combustion , or Commotion.
Kirk wrote on 8/30/2002, 4:22 PM
?
SonyDennis wrote on 8/30/2002, 5:09 PM
In another thread, someone mentioned a technique where you can isolate the target color using the Chroma Key filter, and then using that as a mask (perhaps along with the Mask Generator filter) to limit the effect of a color change.
///d@