Color issues... at DVinfo.net

Christopher Bishop · April 16th, 2006, 01:52 PM

Hello -

I am currently shooting a feature film on my XL2 and my DP is saying that there is a problem with the camera. He describes the problem as"

"The over all color balance is poor (muddy), the custom white balance is always way off (blue -green,) skin tones are not represented accurately, more often that not the color has a very unattractive red shift."

Has anyone else experienced these problems? I'm not getting any error messages and, by using the color correction tools in FCP, I can get some really good images.

What do you think?

-C-

Mathieu Ghekiere · April 16th, 2006, 02:52 PM

You can do a manual white balance too...
Don't know about the XL2, but my XL1s has a great automatic white balance, even though more saturated then the XL2 (if what I read was correct).

And the XL2 has lots and lots of controls to change your image in-camera...

Ash Greyson · April 17th, 2006, 12:20 PM

Your DP must not be familiar with the XL2. Some of his comments contradict one another as well. A cool white balance will not cause a red shift.

As far as WB, always use manual, I prefer a warm WB to a blue card but that will make the picture a little red. As far as the muddy colors? That is a master pedestal and set-up level adjustment, you can also bump the color gain a couple notches. The XL2 is not easy to use but even when shot flat, all the information is there as evidenced by your ability to tweak it in FCP.

ash =o)

Andrew Khalil · April 17th, 2006, 12:22 PM

part of the advantage of the XL2 is the fact that you can extensively customize the look to get what you want. I'm also a DP and I use the XL2 a lot because of this. Unfortunately, it also means the default colour can be very flat but in my opinion, closer to real life which you may or may not want.
Try playing around with the custom settings and finding a combination that gives the look you or your DP are after. If colour is the problem, try boosting the colour gain and if red is an issue, just dial the red down and you should be good.

Chris Bottrell · April 18th, 2006, 03:08 PM

I found that the default settings on the XL2 are quite bland and have a "Documentry" look, colours are not quite right. What i did is pluged the camera into a decent monitor (Sony PVM 1440) and tweak the preset's until you have a picture you are happy with or use one of the many excellent Blue Barn Presets.

April 16th, 2006, 01:52 PM	#1
Christopher Bishop New Boot Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Schenectady, NY Posts: 11	Color issues... Hello - I am currently shooting a feature film on my XL2 and my DP is saying that there is a problem with the camera. He describes the problem as" "The over all color balance is poor (muddy), the custom white balance is always way off (blue -green,) skin tones are not represented accurately, more often that not the color has a very unattractive red shift." Has anyone else experienced these problems? I'm not getting any error messages and, by using the color correction tools in FCP, I can get some really good images. What do you think? -C-

April 16th, 2006, 02:52 PM	#2
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	You can do a manual white balance too... Don't know about the XL2, but my XL1s has a great automatic white balance, even though more saturated then the XL2 (if what I read was correct). And the XL2 has lots and lots of controls to change your image in-camera... __________________ http://productionsofthe3rdkind.com http://pr3k.com

April 18th, 2006, 03:08 PM	#5
Chris Bottrell New Boot Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Norwich UK Posts: 23	I found that the default settings on the XL2 are quite bland and have a "Documentry" look, colours are not quite right. What i did is pluged the camera into a decent monitor (Sony PVM 1440) and tweak the preset's until you have a picture you are happy with or use one of the many excellent Blue Barn Presets. __________________ Chris Bottrell Director R18 Wholesale LTD Canon XL2

April 17th, 2006, 12:20 PM	#3
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Your DP must not be familiar with the XL2. Some of his comments contradict one another as well. A cool white balance will not cause a red shift. As far as WB, always use manual, I prefer a warm WB to a blue card but that will make the picture a little red. As far as the muddy colors? That is a master pedestal and set-up level adjustment, you can also bump the color gain a couple notches. The XL2 is not easy to use but even when shot flat, all the information is there as evidenced by your ability to tweak it in FCP. ash =o)

April 17th, 2006, 12:22 PM	#4
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	part of the advantage of the XL2 is the fact that you can extensively customize the look to get what you want. I'm also a DP and I use the XL2 a lot because of this. Unfortunately, it also means the default colour can be very flat but in my opinion, closer to real life which you may or may not want. Try playing around with the custom settings and finding a combination that gives the look you or your DP are after. If colour is the problem, try boosting the colour gain and if red is an issue, just dial the red down and you should be good.