Under Exposure

Richard Jones wrote on 6/30/2011, 2:59 AM
Just thought you might like to know that Frederic Baumann, who created the excellent White Balance Plug In, has now produced an equally good one for dealing with under exposure.

It's availabe from his web site at:

http://www.fbmn-software.com/en/index.html

which also gives examples of the Plug In in operation. Thoroughly recommended.

Richard

Comments

PeterDuke wrote on 7/3/2011, 5:09 AM
I have tried the plugin and rate it on a par (perhaps slightly worse) than the Shadows and Highlights effect in NewBlue Video Essentials II. It suffers from the same problem in that shadows/backlit subjects, when lightened, lack contrast. (I gave up on the similar Sony Fill Light effect soon after it was introduced because it was buggy.)

I am still looking for a plugin for Vegas that comes close to the performance of the Shadows/Highlight effect in Adobe Premiere and related products.

For still images, I regularly use PhotoWiz LightMachine, a PS compatible plugin for my image editor. It illustrates how I believe such effects should work, namely identify shadow, midtone and highlight regions, with feathering between the shadow and highlight regions. The region as a whole is then lightened or darkened, not individual pixels regardless of their context. The contrast within the shadow and highlight regions can be adjusted separately. The danger with this method is the production of halos, and a way of controlling them is necessary.
Arthur.S wrote on 7/3/2011, 7:41 AM
Have you tried the 'high contrast' filter in NBE II? Used at a low setting it's pretty good with under exposed shots.
PeterDuke wrote on 7/3/2011, 5:32 PM
I have no problem adjusting under exposed shots, except that quality suffers compared to a properly exposed shot.

It is battling with high dynamic range where I have problems. I don't want to expose for the shadows and burn out the highlights. Often, an attractive sky has to be burnt out, unfortunately, but I am prepared to accept that. What I don't want is subject matter in bright sun to be burnt out while trying to reveal subject matter in shade.
Grazie wrote on 7/3/2011, 8:26 PM
And that's exactly why I use graduated filters. They tame skies and leave the correctly exposed foreground/earth alone. Put a Pola on and I can retain the bluest of skies.

Grazie

farss wrote on 7/4/2011, 5:55 AM
Apart from Grazie's suggestions also consider scrims, bounce boards and reflectors. They're pretty much in order of least to most likely to impart an unpleasant look to a shot. All of them do mean more "stuff" to wrangle.

Bob.
PeterDuke wrote on 7/4/2011, 7:06 AM
Most of my videos are shot "on the run" during tours or other excursions where controlling the environment or waiting for it to improve by itself is not an option. Even fiddling with graduated ND filters would be a hassle at times, but worth trying in appropriate situations. (Not appropriate for say a strong shadow cast diagonally across the facade of a building, for instance.)
farss wrote on 7/4/2011, 3:51 PM
Peter there really is no solution available, the best cameras money can buy cannot cope with the extremely harsh lighting that exists in some parts of the world at the wrong time of day.

Bob.
PeterDuke wrote on 7/4/2011, 5:44 PM
I wasn't looking for perfection or the impossible. If I had Adobe's Shadow/Highlight for Vegas I would stop grumbling (or not grumble so much!). I sometimes pass a clip or two or hundred through Adobe Premiere Elements, but it is all extra work.