http://www.vasst.com/product.aspx?id=2212ad20-81a5-4415-a37a-fa0c83fa1dcd

VASST put out a DVD on color correction in Vegas, that is probably the best way to go to really learn this stuff.

For DV 0-255 is the legal color limits for computers. 16-235 is the legal limits for TVs. I dunno about HD. This means when you make something for broadcast you can't color correct accurately on a computer screen. A perfect image for TV may look a little dull on your computer because your computer can go from 0-255. So you have to preview on a TV/broadcast monitor.

In Vegas the waveform monitor is set up in absolutes 0-100. By default this is the computer colorspace (0-255). To change it to the Studio color space for broadcast you have to change the settings to 16-235.

Once you have set up the waveform to match your output, your blackest black should be at 0 on your waveform scope. The whitest white should be 100. The FX to use with the Waveform Scope are Levels and Color Curves.

Here's a recent thread on using levels.
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=582330

Tektronix has some good information on their site regarding scopes.
http://www.tek.com/Measurement/App_Notes/NTSC_Video_Msmt/#Contents

Please keep in mind that Vegas' scopes *don't* behave exactly like those scopes. There's a number of differences (e.g. no 7.5 marking) and inaccuracies (e.g. clipping). You also really need to pay attention to your codecs (do they expect studio or computer RGB levels), and setup the scopes accordingly. So pick one set of levels to work in, convert everything to studio or computer RGB levels, and set the scopes to what you chose. Then when you render, you can nest your .veg and change levels (studio<-->computer) if need be.
For broadcast this might be a bad idea since there's a much higher possibility for user error (and also software bugs/limitations, e.g. if the broadcast safe filter isn't working right... which is possible with 32-bit projects and 1.000 compositing gamma).

2- For a practical use of scopes, the histogram is like in other programs.

The waveform monitor is somewhat like a histogram except for each column in the image. This can be more helpful than the histogram if you have erroneous stuff on the sides of the picture.

The vectorscope only measures luma. Suppose you change the "saturation" slider in the color corrector (that affects only chroma and not luma)... the histogram reading will change but the waveform monitor reading won't (assuming you set it to "luminance" mode; Vegas really means luma).

So if I understand this correctly, if my target is for the web, stick with computer RGB and watch my scopes to stay within 0-255 and then use the RGB Waveforms to accurately color balance accordingly? I understand that this is a very technical topic - I'm looking for a base level of settings.

Much of my work is destined for the web - I'd like to find base settings by which to work from.

Cliff Etzel - Solo Video Journalist
bluprojekt

1. Stick with Computer RGB
2. Your scopes will show either 0-255 or 0-100 (waveform uses 0% to 100%) where 100 = 255 for computer RGB.

You don't need to use RGB Parade. It just shows you the color balance of your shot. I don't think there is a formula like make all colors balance in RGB parade and then your shot will be good. For example, there may be reasons why the shot has way more Red in it that G and B. For me RGB parade is a diagnostic tool, it's not a subsitute for your eye.

I am by no means an expert on this, but I rarely use RGB parade, I use the waveform plus the levels tool to make sure I have my brightness and my dynamic range correct and nothing is clipping and then I color correct by eye. Sometimes clipping is a result of just one color clipping like say you have too much blue in a shot, the RGB parade will show you that. There are probably differences in using the levels tool to fix clipping rather than use the color tools to fix clipping, but I bet it's pretty subtle.

I think RGB parade would work well if you are matching shots, which I don't have to do too often. I think it would also work well if you are using the Color Curves tool and want to work in just Red, Green or Blue in the Curves. It's also helpful, if you think the footage has a color cast in it.

Thanks BK for your input - that helps me greatly.

I'm working with an LCD monitor that I have done my best to balance in color and contrast/brightness, but it's not perfect I am sure. It's attached via DVI so am wondering if there are any other things I should be aware of. Since web video isn't as demanding as broadcast with regards to contrast and brightness levels, color, etc , should I be too concerned? I'm of the perspective if I get it in a ball park range, I should be good to go - I still find myself wanting to tweak to get it to look as good as I can on my monitor though.

Cliff Etzel - Solo Video Journalist
bluprojekt | ImmersiveVJ.com

If you have calibrated your monitor correctly, you should be good to go.

However, the decision to color correct is not a question of web vs broadcast. It's does my footage look right? Once you answer that question, then you decide how do I need set up my scopes?

I think you decide to color correct based on what quality footage you are dealing with.

That makes it much easier to edit if I know that. I feel like I have had to spend quite a bit of time trying to make things look perfect so to speak - and then wondering how my footage will look on another computer monitor - but I guess it's the same thing for broadcast - you can tweak for those standards and then someone's tv is going to be so out of calibration that it really didn't matter as much as you thought.

Thanks for the insights :-)

Cliff Etzel - Solo Video Journalist
bluprojekt | ImmersiveVJ.com

I am no expert on / with scopes - far from it. But I was having some problems and wanted all to be ‘right', so I tried using the Vegas scopes and discovered a few things.

My computer screens are setup using PhotoCal, a pantone color evaluation / matching product. It works quite well and I am very happy with the result. (It shure would be nice if XP / Vista would allow separate setup for each screen.)

Using the SMPTE Color bar clip from the front of the video shot with a Canon XHA1, the color is as close as I can see it on the screen using the blue filter from the Video Essentials DVD (which I use to setup the projection TV.)

When the Vegas scope setting has both 7.5 IRE setup and Studio RGB selected, the Vector scope shows the color dots smack in the middle of the boxes and the waveform shows black at 7% and the color bars are nearly on the green reference lines.
Turning off the 7.5 IRE moves black to 0 and the color bars are right on the green reference bars.
White is at 100 in both cases.

Turning off Studio RGB really ‘messes up' the scopes. The dots on the vector are still in the box, but nearly at the low edge (toward the center). The waveform has black at 5% and white at 92% and some of the color bars are below and some are above the green reference lines.
Turning on the 7.5 at that point moves black to 13%. It is a mystery as to what this might be good for.

It is also interesting that the green reference bars are not at the same place on the waveform as on the Magni MM400 which I supposed to be a professional level device.

Unfortunately, I can't get the black level to be correct on the screen. No matter what I do with the terminal settings, black is gray and the blacker than black bar is black - easily seen.

If I set the Brightness and Contrast FX Brightness to -.06, the black level is as it should be.

But what about on a DVD on a TV? I created a test DVD with unmodified and modified bars clip and found that on the above mentioned adjusted TV, the color is as close as I can see and the black level is correct with out modification.

Of course your setup may be different.

Hope this helps.

Paul Masters