Tips on deepening shadows in a clip?

I'm curious about the best combination of effects for deepening blacks and the other darkest areas of a clip whilst leaving the lighter areas relatively untouched. I have a bunch of material where the general brightness levels are perfect, save for washed-out 'blacks' that appear more dark gray at the moment. Any thoughts?

Quoting Colin Brougham <[email protected]>:
+1 on Luma Curves... or more specifically, +1 on RGB Curves. It does
everything that Luma Curves does plus give you chroma control as
well. That's convenient, since if you have to adjust the color of a
shot (to a certain extent), you can do so with one effect rather
than two or more. With CUDA acceleration, it's not too much of an
issue, but my general feeling is that less is more whenever possible.
>
Interestingly (and I only just spotted this myself) there is a Luma
Correction plugin (CUDA) which does this too (CC without the color
section) - but you do need to bear in mind that the two plugins
(curves vs CC/LC) work in different ways and will give you different
results. Try both and use whichever looks best.
Another tip while you're at it - it's useful to have a waveform
monitor panel setup so you can see where your shadows are ending up
and not getting crushed out of existence.

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Shadow and highlight clipping

Over the past few weeks I have noticed something with correcting shadow and highlight clipping in LR 5.7 and 5.7.1 I was not aware of and would like some opinions.
In one sentence, it appears that there is highlight clipping both in the White and Highlight portion of the histogram and shadow clipping in the Shadows and Blacks portion of the histogram. Up until recently I had assumed that if I wanted to globally recover highlights, I had to bring the Whites down. However, I have now seem quite a few photos, taken with different cameras (all Nikon), where the highlight clipping warning only went away after reducing the Highlights by -5.

What you are seeing is perfectly normal for images with moderate to high dynamic range. The LR PV2012 Tone controls should be adjusted using a top-down workflow. Here's what I have found that works well:
PV2012 Basic Panel Tone Control Adjustment Procedure
Start with all of the Tone controls at their default 0 settings and adjust them from the top-down in the order shown below.
1. Set Exposure to correct midtone brightness ignoring the highlight and shadow areas for now. Setting Exposure slightly higher (+.25 to +.50 EV) than what looks correct for the midtones seems to work best with most images.
2. Leave Contrast at 0 for now. It’s usually better to adjust this after the first pass.
3. Adjust Highlights so that blown out areas are recovered and “fine tonal detail” is revealed.
4. Adjust Shadows to reveal fine detail in dark areas. For most normal images simply setting +Shadows = -Highlights (Example +50 and -50) works very well.
5. The Whites control sets the white clipping point, which you can see by holding down the ALT key as you move the slider. Adjust it to the point where you see clipping appear with the ALT key.
6. The Blacks control sets the black clipping point, which you can see by holding down the ALT key as you move the slider. Adjust it to the point where you see clipping appear with the ALT key.
7. Now go back and adjust the Contrast control to establish the best midtone contrast.
8. Lastly touch-up the Exposure control for the best midtone brightness.
9. If necessary “touch-up” the controls using the same top-down workflow.

C dark shadow in video clips be fixed?

Hi Everyone
I hope I am in the right place. Some clips in my footage taken in dark room against light. How can I salvage them?thank you. Faruk

A few things to experiment with, in order of my personal preference:
1) Color correction. By far the most common and comprehensive of the included filters is 3D Color Corrector. Spend some time figuring it out, you''ll probably end up being good friends with it. You will want to work the three horizontal sliders to adjust relative values of dark, middle, and highlight areas.
2) Gamma adjustment. Read up on Gamma if you aren't familiar. You would be looking to adjust the gamma curve of your image to bring some of the shadows out. There are several gamma filters around - both included in FCP and free.
3) Levels. There are several filters which work with familiar controls such as "contrast" and "brightness". I haven't found them useful but you might.
4) various fixits... there is a plugin called "Face Light" which might be really good for this specific situation.
There are a lot of other potential issues and ways to deal with the noise you'll probably find in those shadows, and the white clipping you may be forced to do. But this is a start.
Sorry I can't help at the moment with exact filter names, I am sadly away from FCP.

Help Recreating Drop Shadow Effect from Clipping Mask

A few months ago I created the image attached. Today for the life of me I cannot create a similar effect, where the drop shadow of the text comes from the clipping mask. Everytime I try to follow the same steps and layer styles I keep getting a normal black drop shadow not a drop shadow that comes from the clipping mask like in my example. Help please I am driving myself crazy!!!

Thanks JJMack and PCTGraphic !
PCTGraphic converting the text layer to a smart object is what I seemed to be missing (and what I believe I did in the attached picture as well). Thanks for the reminder!
JJMack I really appreciate your answer as well (there's always more than way of doing things), but I know I didn't use a vector mask originally. Unfortunately, I do not know how to add text to a vector mask. I would like to learn how to do it your way, I will work on that (the screen shot will help, thank you)!

DROP SHADOW ON GENERIC CLIP ??

Hi
there is a workaround to make DROP SHADOW EFFECT on a generic clip as in Final Cut 7 ?? I need it for border clips resized ( PIP)
thanks
silvio bonomi

Please upload the entire webpage to the web and post a link so we can view it in our browsers.

Odd difference between shadow and highlight clipping

A newly imported RAW file I started to process shows what I thought to be odd behaviour when the shadow clipping button was pressed ; initially the trunk of a tree in deep shadow showed large areas of shadow clipping , and was so mostly blue .
Then , when the Fill Light slider was pulled across from 0 to say 30 , the blue colour indicating shadow clipping started to disappear , and definite detail started to appear . Examination at 300% shows that differentiated pixels appear directly from the blue ones , and aren`t just adjacent to the blue originally .
I thought that shadow clipping was exactly analogous to highlight clipping , and that pixel info had been permanently lost from these areas , with RGB;0:0:0 , just like blown highlights .
So is the shadow clipping indication an absolute measurement , or is it somehow relative , and if so to what ? Anyone able to suggest the underlying mechanism and any answers ? Thanks in advance .
Nikon D70 NEFs into XP on an Athlon XP 2200 with 1 GB RAM .

The clipping (shadows and highlights) indicates clipping in the current rendering, not in the RAW data. If the "RAW" data is a JPEG, you can't recover highlights, just shadows. If the "RAW" data is a RAW, you can't tell from the clipping indicators if the RAW data is clipped or not. You may be able to recover using the develop tools.

How to add a simple drop shadow to video clip

Ok, so perhaps I'm just looking in all the wrong places, or perhaps it was an oversight in the initial release of FCP X....but for the life of me, I cannot find where to add a simple drop shadow (in this case, for actual video footage. I haven't looked into shadows for text). I have keyed footage (BTW, bravo Apple on the chromakeyer in FCP X) that I need to add a drop shadow to in order for it to blend nicer with the background footage. Is this feature missing? Or am I simply not looking in the right place?

Same answer as your other recent thread.

Editing tips for slowing down HD (flash) clips? Trimming HD clips?

Hello all... I'm new to HD flash content and have a couple of questions about some techniques that could speed up my workflow. I'm used to 'log and capture', but just now beginning my first projects ever using 'log and transfer' of HD content from flash cards. Anyway, here's what I'm hoping I could do:
1. In the past with DV tape, I would drop an entire captured clip (usually and entire tape worth of video) into my Sequence then change the speed of that entire clip from 100% to 80% for my editing needs before cutting it up for editing. With this new log and transfer, it takes every clip between takes and makes them their own independent clip (IE- each time you stop recording on the shoot it makes what you just recorded a clip, whether it's 10 seconds or one hour long). So instead of having a hour's worth of footage with pink break point markers after doing a 'DV Start/Stop Detect' function, you get a boat load of 10 to 15 second individual clips.
Question: Is it possible to select all the clips or set something in the sequence settings to change all of the clips speed from 100% (real time) to say 80% (bit of slow motion) without having adjust each individual clip one-by-one?
2. In the past with DV tape, after slowing down my entire clip I would then go through and make cuts a second before and a second after each and every break point (or pink break point marker after doing a DV Start/Stop Detect). Maybe I've always done this the hard way, who know, so I was wondering if there's a way to select all of this HD content in my Sequence (the individual clips as described in my first question) and automatically have FCP trim a second off the start and finish of each clip (whether it's been slowed down or not)? This obviously would accomplish being able to add transitions between clips (unless there's another way to accomplish adding transitions between clips without trimming them?).
Anyway pointers would be great! I love the HD flash content, but now I'm just realizing my old techniques with DV when it comes to the basic editing isn't going to work with this HD content from flash cards, making my job take 2-3 times as long as it would in the past. So I'm hoping FCP has added these kind of 'shortcuts' much like they did with being able to apply a single transition to a selected batch of clips.
I'm up to date on all software and what not... running FCP 7.0.1.
Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the response, but I have access to the FCP user manual and have already read that. I usually only come here as a last resort. I'm hoping somebody can actually answer my two specific questions vs. directing me to a user manual that I already have. Specifically the two questions I asked above with a simple set of instructions on how to accomplish both, it either is at all possible. The user manual did not provide those answers for me and if it did, I'm not understanding it.
And if what you are saying is I can import, or 'log and transfer', all of the footage from one card as one long clip then treating it like it's DV 'log and capture' footage I'd love to know the settings on how to accomplish that as well. I tried that and looked for settings and read the manual and I'm not seeing where that is possible.
I'm not a Hollywood film producer, so spoon feeding might be necessary! I'm hoping to get 'on the fly' help and advice from others that might know what I'm trying to accomplish and do it themselves all the time vs. sitting in front of my editing stations for a week trying to figure it out on my own after reading a vague user manual.

Calibrated monitor profile 'clips' shadow detail in RAW images

I've been using the Pantone Huey color calibration tool and like it except for one small problem. When viewing RAW images from my Canon 5D in Aperture the shadow areas are 'clipped' and really look crappy. If I do ANY adjustment to the exposure, shadows/highlights, levels, etc. a lot of shadow detail becomes apparent. It's especially noticeable on darker images. This only happens with RAW images from my 5D, and only when I have my Huey profile selected. Aperture and the Huey software are all the most recent versions.
Even if I turn the brightness DOWN shadow detail suddenly pops into life. So the first thing I do when loading in all my photos is to do a batch brightness adjust +.01, or a batch tweak of the levels by .1. See for yourself... Apple, when are you going to fix this odd issue? I've been plagued with it for over a year now and it's getting to be a real pain. Thanks.
Example:
http://www.johnnydanger.net/temp/clipped_blacks.jpg

I'd really like to understand your post because absolute vs. relative black point sound very close.
The terms absolute and relative are used to describe different rendering intents (abs. vs. rel. colorimetric). Black point compensation (BPC) is another option when choosing rendering intents.
The only conversions Aperture does [that are relevant here] are between its internal color space (which is unknown) and the monitor color space and between the internal space and the one it exports into (eg, Adobe RGB in my tests). I have not seen an operating system or application that lets you choose the rendering intent for conversion into the monitor space and Aperture is no exception. Since Aperture uses the preferred intent of a profile for printing it presumably does so as well for displaying (in my case this would be perceptual).
Now since the darkest point of the internal color space is probably lower than that of the display using perceptual, or relative with BPC, or absolute should ensure that all shadow detail is visible. Since Aperture (and other apps) possibly honor the rendering intent of the monitor profile it might be that Aperture is mistakingly using relative without BPC before I check the Levels box and only after that switch on the BPC. Forcing the application to always use BPC or using absolute as the preferred rendering intent might therefore prevent you from encountering the problem.
Does what I just said make sense. No, not really but then I don't really know how these apps work internally. And neither do my printing results with a number of labs [10 10 10] is always indistinguishable from pure black.

Is there a way in the Soft Proofing mode to showHIGHLIGHT clipping warnings?

Is there any way to show HIGHLIGHT clipping warnings ON my image while in the Soft Proofing mode? I am NOT looking to see if color are out of gamut...but if Highlights and shadows are being clipped.

Sorry JimHess, that does not work. If you adjust for highlight clipping in the normal LR mode, which is in the Pro Photo color space, there will still be clipping in the sRGB color space for highlights. You can test this by adjusting an image in the Pro Photo color space, making your highlights kiss each end of the histogram, and then open that image in PS or ACR in sRGB mode. You will see major clipping that you did not see in Pro Photo color space in LR. I'm looking for a way, in Lightroom, to see clipping warnings on my image, while it is being view in the sRBG color space...so I know, once it's printed in that color space...I won't have clipped highlights.

Scrubbing half or quarter frames within a clip?

Hey Everyone,
I'm trying to synch some audio tracks to video and want to make sure that I get it perfect. I recall there being a way to set points in between frames to get super specific, but can't remember how to do it. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Thank You!

The key point to recognize is sub frame audio editing ONLY works within the Audio tabs in the Viewer. You can't do it in the audio tracks on a Timeline. The Capt'n's video does a good job explaining it.
Here's a tip - Once you have loaded your clip into the Viewer, if you find the Viewer image too small, either drag the Stereo (or Mono) Tab in the Viewer free of its normal position then click on the expand to full screen button on the top of that window to stretch it out (I put it on my second monitor) or, drag the Stereo (or Mono) tab from the Viewer and dock it in the Sequence Window.
Either one will give you a much larger view. When you close the audio window, it re-docks back to the main Viewer window.
x

Shadows slider in Elements 7 ACR 5.6

I started shooting in jpeg + raw with my Nikon D90. I’m trying to learn how to make my images as accurate as possible. I bought a book about using camera raw that seemed to be aimed at the version of Photoshop Elements I use, Version 7. However, in addition to dealing with acr in Photoshop Elements 7, it also deals with similar versions of both Photoshop and Lightroom.
I’m trying to optimize an action shot of a fourth grade football team, taken between 12pm-1pm with daylight saving time, so the lighting would be 11am-12pm standard time. I figured this would be a good image to play with because the white balance would be fairly easy to set.
One team had white pants, white helmets, and deep red jerseys while the other team had white pants, white helmets, and white jerseys. Because it was basically bright noonday sun, it is a high contrast scene, with both shadows and highlights clipped. I realize the image is beyond the dynamic range of the camera senor, but I want to get it as close as possible. I’ll probably have to let a few highlights go, in addition to specular highlights that occur on the helmets and white uniforms.
In a section of the book dealing with shadow and highlight clipping, there is a reference to a “shadows” slider. However, my acr, version 5.6, has no shadow slider. Which slider in my acr interface is the equivalent slider? As far as I can tell, the book makes no mention of either the recovery or fill light sliders that are on my acr interface, except to show them within a figure.
I want to use the “alt key” option to view the clipped shadow and highlights to help optimize the exposure and other things.
Your assistance is very much appreciated.

Try the Blacks slider, right under Fill Light.

Multiple clips playing simultaneously

Hello,
I am a complete newbie to Final Cut Pro. I have this movie I want to make which I can't do in iMovie. The video is a song I wrote with me singing all the parts, and I want the movie to show all the clips of me singing simultaneously. I managed to film all the clips, and get them spliced and named in final cut pro, and I have the audio file locked in the right place. Can someone tell me the basic command I need to use to get the simultaneous video clip thing going? Hopefully I'll be able to read that section of the manual and make it work, but I have no idea where to begin.
Also: what is the deal with rendering? If I've got this straight, I have to render a clip each time I've changed it in any way in order to view it in the Canvas?
Thanks,
Dave

Wow, this is fantastic, thanks a lot. Now that that's answered, I'm getting more ambitious - got any tips on how to get the clips to change size and move around during the movie?

Blue patches in shadow areas when viewing .cr2 files in Develop module

LR newbie.
The last batch of images imported from my Canon 7D are all showing blue patches in the shadow areas.
LR 5.2, Camera Raw 8.2
I am wondering if it is linked to lens profiles, as it appears to have started since I have begun using the Sigma 30mm 1.4 lens.
Any advice appreciated.
Regards,
Andrew

No, it isn't that at all. Those blue patches are there because the clipping indicators are on, and the blue is showing that your shadows are being clipped. You can turn the indicators on/off by pressing the J key. If you see red patches on your image, that indicates that your highlights are being clipped.

Drop Shadow renders in opposite direction!

Added drop shadow to a clip. Direction is lower right (315 degrees). Looks right on screen. Export video. Drop shadow is to the upper left! Tried the drop shadow on both the individual item and on the group. Same results both ways. Move my drop shadow to the upper left in the project - exported movie has it to the lower right. Bizarre!
--Kurt

Most NLE's use straight alpha. I have never rendered pre-multiplied except to demonstrate to students that they don't work well in most situations. I always edit my output module templates to get rid of the pre-multiplied settings. I never have figured out why they were the default.

Tips on deepening shadows in a clip?

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