Color correction hardware advice

Hi all,
I've been a video editor by trade for the past 3 years or so, but have only finally gotten around to investing in my own personal studio. I recently purchased a MacPro and am looking into broadcast monitors for color correction.
The main question deals with Intel compatibility and the hardware out there.. I'm curious what other user's experience has been. I'm going back and fourth between a Blackmagic card and a deck like a DSR-11. Anyone have any advice? The big thing to keep in mind is that I've been editing in-house at the companies I've worked for and have little experience setting up hardware. Thanks in advance!
cheers,
Adam Weinberg

hi Adam
its not all happening in the box alone. if my understanding is correct, you also install drivers which hook into the system to manipulate the DVI output in order to provide the necessary signal to the device. similarly, the drivers, allow FCP to hand off some of the processing to the extermal device, hence the hardware acceleration.
not sure this is the option you want though. if you're trying to set up a home studio, you may be better off looking for a suitable Decklink or Kona card as they will offer you far greater options for both input and output .
cheers
Andy

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Color Correction Hardware

Hello Board,
What's the opinion on Color Correction hardware like Spyders or something like that does one work better than the others?

You might find the tests/reviews on this web page useful.

Color Correction Advice Needed

Hi all -
Below is a screen shot that is typical of my sequence:
I've applied the Three-Way Color Corrector and have been able to make minor adjustments here and there, but my main concern is the washed-out front man. I can't seem to bring any detail back into his face, front of his shirt, etc. I think I've adjusted every available control in the color corrector; just probably not in the right combination.
Any advice on how to deal with this?
Thanks.
Ed

Along with Craig's suggestion, I would also apply Shadow & Highlight, BUT make sure to uncheck Auto - you do NOT want that! Adjust, after the Levels, and be prepared to go back to Levels (not Auto Levels), for some tweaks. Note: the order of many Effects will have totally different effects on your footage. I recommend Levels first, and then Shadow & Highlight, but do not be afraid to switch those tow. After you are done, then the 3-Way Color Correction would be my next step, with maybe Neat Video to remove some noise. Be aware that Neat Video WILL up your Export times. Keep going back and making tweaks. Also, a calibrated NTSC (or PAL) CRT monitor, hooked up via FireWire and a pass-through device, will be your best test. Program Monitor is but an emulation.
Good luck,
Hunt

Real time editing hardware spics ........color correction

hi for all
am ayham from Saudi Arabia ...am working as video editing with Avid and i would like to convert to final cut pro for color correction and video editing for drama
i need it to work real time like other editing software
any one can help me about the hardware and Video card(aja kona3...or any other)
and the storage should i need raid storage like promis VTrack ????????????
plz help me

Hi Ayham,
You need a Mac pro,
Aja Cona LHE (with break out box),
The Apple's fiber optical card (2 or 4 Gbit),
one NAS like this http://starline.de/en/index.html ,
Final Cut Studio 2,
and this http://www.automaticduck.com/products/options-avid-user.php
for converting projects from Avid to FCP.
Hope this heps

Color correction in IM6 or plugin advice?

Hello All,
I have several hours of video from 8mm films that I have filmed with my DV camcorder. The quality is pretty good, but I would like to run it through some kind of color correction or optimization.
1. Has anyone done this in IM6? Is it possible?
2. Has anyone used any plugins for this sort of thing?
3. Does anyone know of any third-party software I could run my video through and then save as .mov for import into IM6?
Thanks for sharing your expierence!
Adam

iMovie has hue and white balance adjustment although they are a bit tedious to work with. Even with plug-in from GeeThree it will take a while and I am not sure if they work with V6 yet. Slick 3 has the color correction you are looking for
But if you have a lot of footage and want to do a good job there is little better than the 3-Way color in Final Cut other than having someone with PRO equipment do the conversion and correct the colors on the transfer.

Color correcting advice

Hi everyone,
I have absolutely zero experience with color correcting, but a project that I am working on seems to be in desperate need of it. I am wondering if anyone here can walk me through some steps to get this looking better?
One camera was shot with a panasonic P2-- here's a snapshot:
http://www.collinatorstudios.com/www/tp2.jpg
On a monitor especially, the colors are more on the blue side, the black of the clothes are very black...
The other camera was show with on minidv-- here's a snapshot:
http://www.collinatorstudios.com/www/tminidv.jpg
This one appears to have more red in it.. so blues are a bit more purple, and there is a lot more gray in the black...
So I just would love it if someone could tell me what plugin(s) they would recommend to correct this, and even what settings on the plugin might fix this. I was messing with the built-in color tools but couldn't seem to get the results I was going for.
Thanks.

If you can't afford him...I am available for a BIT cheaper...but note that I am not as good.
OR...you can buy this tutorial DVD and see what you can do:
http://www.rippletraining.com/colorcorrection_for_final_cut_pro.html
But nothing will match what a pro can do. But if you must do it yourself, this is a great DVD.
Shane

Advice for logical workflow for color correcting and color grading

I am an experienced user of PPRO CS5. I am a novice with color correcting and color grading. I am also just barely competant in AE CS5. It has been suggested that I use AE for color correcting my footage. Can you advise me as to the most logical workflow for doing this in coordination with PPRO CS5? Are there some tutorials that you recommend? I subscribe to Lynda.com and I think that they have some great tutorials, I am unsure as to where to begin looking and what to search for.
Thanks so much,
Lisa

lisaellensegal wrote:
I am an experienced user of PPRO CS5. I am a novice with color correcting and color grading. I am also just barely competant in AE CS5. It has been suggested that I use AE for color correcting my footage.
You can do it that way, sure. But you don't have to. You can accomplish quite a lot without leaving PPro. This has two major advantages. First, if you aren't using AE for anything else, it gets you out of using AE at all, so gets you out of climbing another set of learning curves.
Second, even if you are using AE for other things (I use AE to make motion lower thirds, for example), doing the work in PPro can improve exporting speeds. This is because AE gets restricted to a single processor core in some workflows as discussed in this thread and others (search around if you're interested). This can make exporting take 3x as long or longer, depending on how much footage has to be processed by AE.
So, how to do color correction without leaving PPro? Use either a luma corrector or luma curve effect to set black and white points, and contrast (use a waveform monitor to help). Then use a three way color corrector effect to get rid of any residual color casts (use the vectorscope to help, and the RGB parade, etc.).
If you find you have specific colors that need to be fixed, you can apply another three way color correction effect and use it to make that secondary color correction (for example I find the blue dyes used in many labels tend to fluoresce under fluorescent lighting, and has to be desaturated with a secondary color correction or it "blooms" on an HDTV -- IOW, it has to be made "broadcast safe").
If you want tutorials for using these tools, the ones on Creative Cow by Andrew Devis are quite good, and free. The ones on color correction with PPro cs6 start at tutorial number 47. There's a bunch of them. All good.
Finally, get a copy of Van Hurkman's Color Correction Handbook. May be the best technical book I've ever read, and it'll certainly point you in the right direction for doing color correction work regardless of which tools you use to do it.

Premiere pro cc having trouble with color corrected clips

I've been working on a project for a few days and today when I opened premiere pro it gave me a warning about what software it had been running with and how it was no longer available. I'm sorry I've already forgotten the name of the software, but I know I didn't remove anything from my laptop. When I began watching the playback I noticed that color corrected clips were very jumpy and didn't play smoothly, but the ones that had not been color corrected were fine. There were also two lines at the top of my timeline, a red one over all the jumpy clips and a yellow one over the clips that played through completely. This is my first time using premiere pro so I'm not sure what it means or how I could fix it. It may be worth noting that my laptop isn't bad but I don't think it's necessarily the best for editing. Is it possible that memory space or hardware within the laptop are the issue? Any advice will be appreciated, thanks.

Just me today I guess.
The solution to this problem is simple. Download and install the latest Adobe PPro CS3 3.2.0 patch. 50 Mb download, 20 second install time. Everything works great now!

Secondary color correction not working in Premiere CC

Greetings,
I'm unable to build secondary color correction masks in Three Way Color Corrector, RGB Curves etc in the current version of Premiere CC.
In any of these plugins, when I check "show mask" I get the usual white slate filling the frame. But when I use the color picker to make a selection the whole frame stays white. It appears that I'm making selections but it's not building the mask for some reason. When making an extreme color change I can see that the mask is not building as it affects the whole frame.
This started after upgrading to CC. I've recently updated to the most up to date version (yesterday) and am still having the same problem.
Premiere CC 2014.1 Release
8.1.0 (81) Build
Macbook Pro Retina, 15" Late 2013
2Gh Intel Core i7
8Gb
Intel Iris Pro 1536Mb
Yosemite Version 10.10
*note-my Colleague is not having this problem, he's working on the same OS and same CC build but he has an Imac. So I'm guessing this problem is unique to my hardware config.
Anybody else have this problem or know of a fix?

I have the same Problem new MAC OS Premier Pro CC or Premier Pro CS6 both have an issue with the Title Tool. If you open the title tool and try to make color changes or change size of the font it sticks at the default color and default font. SOmetimes the title tool will work and then when I exit it's back to the default first type location, default font and default color. Sometimes it will not even let me exit the Title Tool.
Please help I have Projects I'm working on Deadlines and I pay a monthly Fee for Software that works and it's not working.
Model Name:          Mac Pro
Model Identifier:          MacPro5,1
Processor Name:          6-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed:          2.4 GHz
Number of Processors:          2
Total Number of Cores:          12
L2 Cache (per Core):          256 KB
L3 Cache (per Processor):          12 MB
Memory:          16 GB
Software OS X 10.9 (13A603)
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024 MB

Monitor for color correction

Hello guys,
I am a newbie to Color and Color Correction. I have a dual monitor setup with my Mac Pro.
I have two 24 inches of DELL 2408WFP & DELL 2407WFP. These monitors have different color, and I think it is just stupid how Dell manufactures them.
Anyways, From what I have learned, I know I am not suppose to do perform color correction for videos on any regular LCD monitors. Can you experts suggest me good color correction monitor? Not too expensive. I am not doing any major flim/music video or anything such. This is just a hobby of mine, and I'd like to learn new things as time goes on. Most of my videos are travel videos & I try to make a cinematography out of it. I also shoot landscapes.
I hope you guys can direct me right.
Thanks,
Lowell

I think there is a lot of snobery on this forum regarding hardware requirements. If you are not entertaining clients who have just come from a Da Vinci suite, then you CAN live with out a Broadcast monitor that meets EBU specs. The important thing is to use a video monitor and not a computer monitor. You will need a decklink like card to get the video into composite or component format, that later will give a cleaner image but most television is viewed in composite any way. Colorgrading is a matter of comparing the before and after image and comparing the graded shot with the pictures around it. The scopes will keep you informed of the limits and will help you interprit the monitor. Rember if the shot looks better after grading on a cheaper monitor then it will look better on a Grade A monitor with SDI inputs. Don't let the "big" boys put you off, and use the software that you own to inprove your video and your skill-set.
Good luck from Boaz

Configuring an external Monitor for Color Correction?

I currently have my Mac Book Pro 17in connected by the mini DV port and one USB port to a Mac 30" Cinema Display for editing on FCP7. I use it in a two monitor configuration with my Bin on the laptop screen and the FCP interface on the Cinema display. This works well for me.
I also have an external ESata drive via PCI slot. I would like to connect an external video monitor as well for quality checks and Color correction purposes. I am also looking for advice on what sort of external video monitor I should get and how would I connect it to the laptop or via some external third party device. I would be hoping to use a video monitor connected via a hdmi connection. Most of the work I do is supplied on drives, original material EX3 or Canon and some on HDV (Camera) that I ingest via Firewire800. Many thanks in advance.

Sorry Mark, you can't always have everything ... with the Matrox MXO2 (or similar, like Motu HDX-SDI) you wouldn't be able to use your eSATA drive at the same time as the I/O device as they both use the ExpressCard/34 port ... you would have to use a FW800 drive for your media instead. On the plus side the MXO2 includes a calibration tool which can help you calibrate your LCD/LED screen via HDMI for accurate color reproduction.
An alternative device would be the AJA IoHD (or perhaps Motu V4HD) which connects via FW800. It's a superb piece of kit but is costly and doesn't offer any calibration utility ... that said, a good quality plasma display, such as a Panasonic Pro Plasma, can be found relatively cheaply and many of these have built in picture controls suitable for getting an accurate calibration.
The future is much brighter for Mac laptop users with the introduction of the Thunderbolt connector on the latest MBP revisions. As with FireWire and ExpressCard, you can expect to see I/O devices, hard drives and monitors etc that will connect directly via that connection, greatly expanding the capabilities of a simple laptop setup.

Color correction challenge, PP5.5 Mac, ProRes to WMV

I'm eager to complete my transition from FC Studio to Production Premium CS5.5, but I'm challenged to ensure consistent color in my ProRes to WMV workflow. Any advice would be appreciated.
My shooting gear: EX1R, w and w/o Nanoflash
Editing gear: 2008 MacPro (3.1), OSX 10.6.7, 10 GB RAM, ATI Raedon 4870
Workflow (FCP): Acquire footage, edit native (XD CAM EX/XDCAM HD22), render sequence to ProRes 422, transcode via Quicktime 7 Pro/Flip for Mac to produce WMV files for my PC clients.
Workflow CS5.5 (intended:) Acquire footage, edit native (XDCAM HD 422 via Nanoflash), output sequence to ProRes, transcode to WMV via Quicktime 7 Pro/Flip for Mac HD. After I put a "trial" sequence together in PP5.5, I adjust footage with 3-way color corrector. Here's where the fun starts:
Process: I attempt to create a "master file" from the sequence, using AME with output set for Pro Res. The next intended step would be to open the file in Quicktime Pro 7, then encode via Flip for Mac to produce a smaller WMV file for my clients.
Outcome (1) The results look as though color correction was bypassed completely. After much trial and error, I discovered that when I encoded using ProRes 4444, color corrections were preserved. Yet when I transcoded from 4444 to wmv, (2) the resulting files appeared to have no color correction. No good.
I'm stumped! I thought I was on to something when I noticed the "preset" for outputting XDCAM HD422 was not set for "progressive," but it appears to make no difference.
Sidebar: I experience the same issue regardless of use of XDCAM EX or XDCAM HD422 files. With the latter, I've edited clips in MOV and MXF format. Same outcome.
Until I get this workflow issue sorted out, I'm stalled in completing my transition to PP. I'd like to have acquired gobs more RAM and an Nvidia Quadro 4800 card already, but I need to know that I've fixed this issue first.
Any suggestions most welcome.
Sincerely,
Tom
Raleigh, NC

I finally figured it out! If there are any other FCP to PP traitors out there like me in Mac land, here's a workflow that results in WMVs matching the color corrections created in your PP sequence:
1) Edit native. In my case, I'm working with "XDCAM HD 422," the result of linking a Nanoflash set for 100 mbps/long gop to my EX1R. Both FCP and PP "read" them as 50 mbps files.
2) Export media to AME, checking the box, "Match Sequence Settings." With little delay, this produces a file with an mpeg extension (the mpeg-2 codec). In Quicktime player, this yields silent footage with no audio. Bummer. End of story, I thought.
3) But this time, I brought that same "black" file into Apple Compressor. Using the Flip For Mac plug in, I exported to one of my "regular" settings, 2-pass, VBR, 640x360. The result: a perfect color match with my color corrected PP sequence.
I'm sure there are alternatives to bringing a file that won't play in Quicktime into Compressor. I'll try Quicktime Pro and Streamclip next. But the point -- I think -- is to not bother with any more intermediate formats/files than one has to.
Sighs of relief here.
Tom

Color Correction Novice rounding home stretch w/ a Q

Hi,
So far, I've received some valuable advice & tips for my 1st attempts at color correction, esp since my production falls outside the normal applications. The help has been great!
I went thru my production and did scene by scene corrections, which lost most of its intimidation with enough practice. I still havent tackled the Keyframe approach to having corrections shift during the course of a scene - I'm hoping to escape without having to do that.
Heres my question -
I did all the corrections, with a calibrated external monitor, and then had the program render all the video effects. Then I chose "print to video". When the program ran, the colors were a little different overall than what I had set in the program (less orange, more pink) and in a few scenes (orig underexposed, but corrected in the process), the color shifted more radically, esp in the shadow / black values which fell greenish.
I didnt see any of this as I was correcting, and the signal path was the same when I printed to dvd, same monitor w/ no calibration changes.
Is this normal? Maybe these shifts happen more discreetly in reg productions, mine is a live stage shoot with a lot of red light.
Thanks for all the help, & Happy New Year
Duane
G5 tower Mac OS X (10.4.2)

Hi,
Thanks for all the info, I'm starting to look at ways of sending what I have to people who need to see it. The project will likely still require some tweaking so this isnt a final mastering step by any means. Just looking for something that looks as good as what I see on the monitor after rendering.
Its looking like (from the lasts posts) that 'out thru firewire -> dvd recorder' isnt the best choice & if I can keep it in the computer & flow it directly to its burner, the opportunities for problems can be minimalized.
I tried exporting to quicktime, that resulted in an FCP Quicktime file that took 3 hrs to create & was almost 13 gig. (program is 50 min) so it looked great but was too huge to put onto a disk.
If anyone has guidance in this area, I'd appreciate it. I'm gonna poke around in those options & then likely post a further question seperately on this subject. I want to get it onto a dv disc via toast 6 (I see Quicktime w/ Compression is an option so I'm gonna explore that)
Thank you all again for the correction help, in that 13 gig version, it looked really great (no green in shadow artifacts ! )
Regards,
Duane
G5 tower Mac OS X (10.4.2)
G5 tower Mac OS X (10.4.2)
G5 tower Mac OS X (10.4.2)

Monitor color correction

no matter how i try to calibrate my monitor it seems off. different each time. the color correction utility isn't doing it for me. so i'm using an acer al2416w. i don't know if that matters at all. but what are some good products to do some real color correcting. it's important as i do graphics and have spent over a grand on being ready to do color correction for final cut. maybe i should be posting this in that forum. any ideas?

When you say you do graphics, I assume you mean print work? If so, there are hardware color calibrators such as Gretag MacBeth's Eye-One Display 2 or Pantone's huey and huey pro.
I have not used either of these products

Multiple Secondary Color Correction Possible?

I'm having a strange problem trying to use the secondary color correction inside the 3 way color corrector. It seems to work ok for the 1st filter, but if I try to use it for a a second or more instance of the filter, it seems to behave strangely or not at all.
I can select a color using the eyedropper, and sometimes it will show up in the color swatch, sometimes not.
If I chose to show the 'mask' of the results, it will usually show the clip as white in the program monitor, so I can't see where I'm masking.
I have a feeling that this might have to do with multiple masks interacting with the secondary color correction, and they somehow counteract each other. It doesn't seem very intuitive about how to fix it though.
I'm also noticing pretty intense banding with the 3 way, I know I can smooth it with the other controls in the color corrector, but I'm also wondering if this might have to do with some secret sequence or screen preview setting that I may have read about before.
Thanks for any advice.

The mask should change from white to composite image when you select the left-hand eyedropper. Is this not happening?

Color correction hardware advice

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