Video looks so dark

Harry Settle · May 2nd, 2003, 08:26 PM

You were right, Don. I just loaded one of my really dark clips and played back to tape. Even though I can't see anything in Vegas, it comes out perfect going back to tape. Will I get the same output results when I render to MPEG 2 and burn on DVD?

Harry Settle · May 2nd, 2003, 09:49 PM

I should never have doubted you. . . burned one that looked dark in vegas to dvd, looks as good as it did in the camera.

Thanks

Don Bloom · May 2nd, 2003, 11:06 PM

Harry,
I'm glad it worked out for you.
Anytime I get a new piece of equipment, hardware or software, I always put it thru some paces with a known entity before I put it into production. That has saved me from losing any more hair however it has caused some gray :)

Rob Lohman · May 3rd, 2003, 03:49 AM

So is there any way to lighten up Vegas' preview screen without
actually changing the footage?

Don Bloom · May 3rd, 2003, 06:59 AM

Rob,
I think the only way might be to adjust the computer monitor your using.
It's funny, when I used Studio7 the preview was dark but not as dark as Vegas.
As I said though, on a TV or production monitor the footage looks fine, so I guess it's like looking at an LCD on a camera, I have mine set up brighter but maybe yours is 3 notches darker so if I looked at yours and was trying to adjust exposure I might think the exposure on your camera needed to be changed when it really didn't need to be. There doesn't appear to be a rhyme or reason just call it going by the seat of your pants.
Nothing beats good guestimation :>)

May 3rd, 2003, 12:01 PM

I get the same thing because I have my computer tweaked down, since much of the content on the Net is set higher than you'd want on video.

I ALWAYS check my footage on my studio monitor. You can use a cheap TV, too, and get a better image than you will on the computer monitor. Hook your firewire cable into your camera and turn it on to VCR playback. Then output from the camera to the TV. Make sure you have the (external preview) button turned on in Vegas.

Wayne Orr · May 3rd, 2003, 12:23 PM

So maybe RaggadyAnne (remember her, the original question?) should hook her camera up to a professional monitor, play back a tape, and compare the picture on the monitor with her lcd, and try to tweak the lcd to match the monitor.

Whaddaya think?

Alex Knappenberger · May 3rd, 2003, 12:51 PM

Hook a TV up to your computer, as a monitor, and adjust your computer monitor until it looks about as bright. Video is ALWAYS darker on computer monitors, and it never looks as good as on a TV (usually beacause of interlacing reasons..).

Jeff Donald · May 3rd, 2003, 02:05 PM

Televisions (monitors) and computer monitors operate in different color space and Gamma. I'm sure there are PC programs to calibrate your monitor and build custom profiles for your computer monitor. At the very least you can change the gamma, brightness and contrast to better match your video scenes.

Glen Elliott · May 5th, 2003, 08:19 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : Televisions (monitors) and computer monitors operate in different color space and Gamma. I'm sure there are PC programs to calibrate your monitor and build custom profiles for your computer monitor. At the very least you can change the gamma, brightness and contrast to better match your video scenes. -->>>

He's right. The exact figures are as follows. In Photoshop Level's terms, the whitest white NTSC can produce is 235 (thats 15 points away from 255) and the darkest dark is 16 (16 points from pure black 0). To fix the stills you take from DV footage open Levels dialogue box and change the input sliders of your white and black point to 16 and 235. If it still seems a bit dark, tweak the gamma (grey point) center slider. Hope this helps.

As far as footage looking dark in your NLE, adjust your video card's Overlay in advanced options under Properties> Settings> Advanced. Barring your using a PC and not Mac.

Edward Troxel · May 5th, 2003, 08:57 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Rob Lohman : So is there any way to lighten up Vegas' preview screen without
actually changing the footage? -->>>

You could apply a TRACK or PROJECT filter to brighten the image, do all of your editing, and then remove the filter before the final render.

May 2nd, 2003, 08:26 PM	#16
Harry Settle Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bemidji, MN Posts: 276	You were right, Don. I just loaded one of my really dark clips and played back to tape. Even though I can't see anything in Vegas, it comes out perfect going back to tape. Will I get the same output results when I render to MPEG 2 and burn on DVD? __________________ "DOH"!!!

May 2nd, 2003, 09:49 PM	#17
Harry Settle Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bemidji, MN Posts: 276	I should never have doubted you. . . burned one that looked dark in vegas to dvd, looks as good as it did in the camera. Thanks __________________ "DOH"!!!

May 3rd, 2003, 03:49 AM	#19
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	So is there any way to lighten up Vegas' preview screen without actually changing the footage? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

May 3rd, 2003, 12:01 PM	#21
Guest Posts: n/a	dark video I get the same thing because I have my computer tweaked down, since much of the content on the Net is set higher than you'd want on video. I ALWAYS check my footage on my studio monitor. You can use a cheap TV, too, and get a better image than you will on the computer monitor. Hook your firewire cable into your camera and turn it on to VCR playback. Then output from the camera to the TV. Make sure you have the (external preview) button turned on in Vegas.

May 3rd, 2003, 12:23 PM	#22
Wayne Orr Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Northridge Ca Posts: 734	So maybe RaggadyAnne (remember her, the original question?) should hook her camera up to a professional monitor, play back a tape, and compare the picture on the monitor with her lcd, and try to tweak the lcd to match the monitor. Whaddaya think? __________________ Wayne If it was easy, they'd get a relative to do it.

May 2nd, 2003, 11:06 PM	#18
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Harry, I'm glad it worked out for you. Anytime I get a new piece of equipment, hardware or software, I always put it thru some paces with a known entity before I put it into production. That has saved me from losing any more hair however it has caused some gray :)

May 3rd, 2003, 06:59 AM	#20
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Rob, I think the only way might be to adjust the computer monitor your using. It's funny, when I used Studio7 the preview was dark but not as dark as Vegas. As I said though, on a TV or production monitor the footage looks fine, so I guess it's like looking at an LCD on a camera, I have mine set up brighter but maybe yours is 3 notches darker so if I looked at yours and was trying to adjust exposure I might think the exposure on your camera needed to be changed when it really didn't need to be. There doesn't appear to be a rhyme or reason just call it going by the seat of your pants. Nothing beats good guestimation :>)

May 3rd, 2003, 12:51 PM	#23
Alex Knappenberger High School Student Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Canton, Ohio, USA Posts: 609	Hook a TV up to your computer, as a monitor, and adjust your computer monitor until it looks about as bright. Video is ALWAYS darker on computer monitors, and it never looks as good as on a TV (usually beacause of interlacing reasons..).

May 3rd, 2003, 02:05 PM	#24
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Televisions (monitors) and computer monitors operate in different color space and Gamma. I'm sure there are PC programs to calibrate your monitor and build custom profiles for your computer monitor. At the very least you can change the gamma, brightness and contrast to better match your video scenes. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

May 5th, 2003, 08:19 AM	#25
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : Televisions (monitors) and computer monitors operate in different color space and Gamma. I'm sure there are PC programs to calibrate your monitor and build custom profiles for your computer monitor. At the very least you can change the gamma, brightness and contrast to better match your video scenes. -->>> He's right. The exact figures are as follows. In Photoshop Level's terms, the whitest white NTSC can produce is 235 (thats 15 points away from 255) and the darkest dark is 16 (16 points from pure black 0). To fix the stills you take from DV footage open Levels dialogue box and change the input sliders of your white and black point to 16 and 235. If it still seems a bit dark, tweak the gamma (grey point) center slider. Hope this helps. As far as footage looking dark in your NLE, adjust your video card's Overlay in advanced options under Properties> Settings> Advanced. Barring your using a PC and not Mac.

May 5th, 2003, 08:57 AM	#26
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	<<<-- Originally posted by Rob Lohman : So is there any way to lighten up Vegas' preview screen without actually changing the footage? -->>> You could apply a TRACK or PROJECT filter to brighten the image, do all of your editing, and then remove the filter before the final render.