Ultimate S: Multicam color correcting - pls help!

ken c wrote on 8/17/2007, 3:46 PM
Hi -

I would really appreciate help on this, if anyone can answer this....it's a bit urgent as I'm in a rush for a video edit for a DVD set I'm editing...

I'm using Ultimate S 3 on V7 to do edit a multicam shoot, with footage from 2 cams, an A- and B-cam. The source cameras were different types.

So, I need to be able to set different brightness and contrast for the footage shot from the two cameras, and color correction, footage is on each track in Vegas.

The problem: If I individually color-correct/brightness/contrast fix each video track separately, the output of the Master Video track via Ultimate S doesn't pick up the color corrects. And I can't do a global color correct on the Master Video track from Ultimate, since I need different settings for each of the 2 tracks.

Any ideas on how to retain color correction within each track and still be able to use the multicam edit from within Ultimate S?

Here's a screencap of the V7 timeline, left part, so far:

http://www.dtu1.com/vegastimeline2camshoot.gif

My problem is that I need individual brightness/contrast etc settings for each of the 2 source tracks (7/9) and have those reflected in/correctly rendered from the Master Video track (4) when I render out the avi.



Thanks much,

Ken

Comments

busterkeaton wrote on 8/17/2007, 4:01 PM
I wonder if something is messed up in your workflow.


However, even as it stands right now, you can fix this.

Just copy your fx settings and apply them to the media in the Media pool. This applies the fx where that media is used.

Of, course, you now need to make sure you remove the FX from the EVENT or else you'll be adding them twice.
busterkeaton wrote on 8/17/2007, 4:03 PM
EVENT and TRACK level is what I should say.

ken c wrote on 8/17/2007, 4:32 PM
Hi, thanks.. but the settings are correct, eg I've tried setting specific brightness/contrast in each track separately, and they individually w/o UltimateS show up correctly, but when I try and use multicam edit in Ultimate S, the master video track, eg the one that renders, doesn't have the settings in it, so the final avi just looks like both of the source videos alternating between cuts, w/o any brightness/contrast/color correction...

I can try that re Media pool, though I don't use it, and don't have media manager installed.. thx for the idea, will try that too, though track edits should hold through for multicam edits...

ideas, and/or from anyone? Manny, Spot, others?

thx,

Ken
farss wrote on 8/17/2007, 4:49 PM
Adding FX to the media in the media pool (that's the tab called "Project Media") has nothing to do with using the Media Manager. Two totally different beasts.

Bob.
nolonemo wrote on 8/17/2007, 5:04 PM
I could be wrong, but I seem to remember that if I applied the FX using the FX icon in the area to the left of the timeline it didn't make it to the master track, but if I applied the FX to the icon in the timeline (which was a single long take) at the right end, it did make it up. But my recollection could be bad...
ken c wrote on 8/17/2007, 5:25 PM
Thx nolo, I'll try that too... and right re m pool vs mmgr...

another workaround, would be to do the color corrections first on each track, then render to avis, then use the corrected tracks as source, but that's a pain... and I never want to lose a generation of render from original source.... but it's an even bigger pain if I couldn't use Ultimate S, as I'd have to go back to using the video composite envelope and clicking each cam edit etc to let the track 'peek through' for each edit, which is cumbersome (I remember from my pre-Ultimate S days)...

Anyone else? Ultimate S *does* let you add color corrections (brightness /contrast etc) to 2-4 individual cam avi tracks, then composite it in it's master video track, right? Not sure why I'm not getting that here...


thx,

Ken
farss wrote on 8/17/2007, 5:47 PM
Try adding it to the clips in the media pool!
From memory scripts cannot read what's in the track headers.
Whatever is applied to the media in the media pool becomes an attribute of the media itself and Vegas will never ignore it.

Bob.
busterkeaton wrote on 8/17/2007, 6:16 PM
As Bob points out, if you add to the clip in the media pool, you don't have to render an avi.

so media pool is your best shot.
ken c wrote on 8/17/2007, 6:26 PM
Thanks a lot, Bob, I'll try that. I've been in the habit of just dragging source avis from windows explorer onto the Vegas timeline, vs going from within Vegas' media pool itself; I'll do that and see if it works. Thanks very much. There's so much to all of this, complicated, video editing... even with all the training/books/videos, it's a craft, all in the details... thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

Ken
PeterWright wrote on 8/17/2007, 6:52 PM
A good Vegas feature to learn is the different levels at which we can apply effects.

Event Level - Only affects THAT particular event

Track Level - Affects everything on that Track

Project Media FX - Affects that piece of media WHEREVER it is used in the project.
(As advised, this is what's required here.)

Preview Window - Affects the entire output of the project.
ken c wrote on 8/17/2007, 7:06 PM
Thanks Peter; that's new information to me; I'd assumed that because I changed it on the track level that I had put the original track avi on, it would also make those changes when the multicam script was run; though apparently not.

Heck I've been using Vegas for years and never knew that this would happen... hopefully I can use sony brightness/contrast fx on the source avi, inside the media pool somehow, and then it'll show correctly when rendered via the master video track using Ultra S. Nice to know how the hierarchy works!

-ken
farss wrote on 8/17/2007, 8:33 PM
Ken,
just to be clear here.

It doesn't matter if you drag a clip from the Project Media onto the T/L OR from the Explorer! Everything on the T/L will always be in the Project Media (aka Media Pool). One problem is if you delete something from the T/L it will still be in the Project Media, that's what the Lightning Bolt icon is for, zap out anything you don't really need.

SO bottom line is you don't have to change or restart you project.
Just open the project media tab and apply the CC or whatever FX to the media. That will affect every instance of anywhere that piece of media is used, period.

Bob.
Spot|DSE wrote on 8/17/2007, 9:43 PM
Ken,
On the clip/event you've corrected, save the correction as an FX preset or chain.
In the Media Pool/Project Media tab, apply that preset.
Voila, every instance of that file is now corrected on the timeline.
Support [at] vasst [dot] com would perhaps have gotten you a fasster answer. ;-)
ken c wrote on 8/17/2007, 9:44 PM
Thanks, Bob - appreciate it...I'll give it a try in the morning; hopefully it'll all work out, I've got a multi-dvd system to create, and up against a tight schedule with it. Lesson learned: on multicam shoots, use the same hardware, eg same cameras, not different cameras....

And hey thanks Douglas, much appreciated, will do re the preset, that'll save time.. (just some brightness/contrast and saturation changes to each track)... Vasst to the rescue again..! thanks so much. all these years later and I'm still learning.... you're why I got successful at all this.

-ken

UPDATE: that worked great; thanks so much, just right click/Media FX for each source avi clip from within the Project Media made the fx changes global, so they rendered correctly. Whew! that's a relief - thanks everyone for the help, you made my weekend a lot easier.
MichaelS wrote on 8/18/2007, 9:27 AM
Ken,

I've got a good looking still using 2 Secondary Color Correction filters, followed by levels.

The first SCC, I sample the jacket, adjusting the brown to match the corporate dark blue,

Next SCC sampled the shirt collar, adjusting it to the appropriate light blue.

Then, Levels matched the...uh...levels.

Not sure how this will look in motion, but the still look pretty darn good.

Good luck!