WarmCards? Worth it for HV20? Anyone use 'em? at DVinfo.net

Brian Boyko · March 22nd, 2008, 12:56 AM

So, here's a quick question. Are "warmcards" worth it for documentaries shot on the HV20, especially for sit-down interviews? Do you still have to do color correction in post or can footage pre-balanced work as-is?

Samuel Hinterlang · March 22nd, 2008, 05:14 AM

You *can* color correct in post. If you have a budget for it, they are always nice to have. Saves some work later. If all your temps look good, why do the extra work in post? You have to do some amount of white balance without them anyway, just to get in the ballpark.

imo anyway

Seth Bloombaum · March 22nd, 2008, 12:50 PM

Forum search is your friend:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=5434

Peter Ferling · March 23rd, 2008, 09:53 AM

If you have a properly calibrated monitor, and you're willing to accept a particular look, then you should try to get that look before it goes through compression and hits the tape.

Otherwise, if done in post, you'd have to apply the effect or look to the entire piece, and thus increasing rendering times and risk recompression and further destruction to your media.

Some caveats or situtations to consider is when shooting comercial products, and respecting colors of their branded materials (i.e. matching a particular pantone color), then warming/color shifting should be avoided. (You still may need to use filters to correct color).

The other fact is that in aquisiting, any lens filtering is a global shift in the scene, and if you want localized correction, that will have to be done in software, (with masks and keys), and you should shoot as neutral as possible.

Printing your own warm, or minus green cards is ok so long as you know that your printer is setup and calibrated as well. I've done this already, however, for the cost, it's cheaper and convenient to buy a set of cards and ensure consistency from shoot to shoot.

In regards to your HV20, test, test, test. Only you can judge if it's suitable for your situation.

Tony Moskal · March 24th, 2008, 07:19 PM

I find using the warm card 1 (and 2) for white balance to be a definite improvement over the HV20's WB, or auto White Balance. It takes a flat desaturated look and really 'warms up' skin tone quite nicely, saving extra color correction in post. There are other work-around's, but I find the warm cards to be convenient and worth the purchase price.

March 22nd, 2008, 12:56 AM	#1
Brian Boyko Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 773	WarmCards? Worth it for HV20? Anyone use 'em? So, here's a quick question. Are "warmcards" worth it for documentaries shot on the HV20, especially for sit-down interviews? Do you still have to do color correction in post or can footage pre-balanced work as-is? __________________ Equip: Panny GH1, Canon HG20, Juicedlink, AT897, Sennh. EW/GW100, Zoom H2, Vegas 8.1

March 23rd, 2008, 09:53 AM	#4
Peter Ferling Trustee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wyomissing, PA Posts: 1,141 Images: 57	If you have a properly calibrated monitor, and you're willing to accept a particular look, then you should try to get that look before it goes through compression and hits the tape. Otherwise, if done in post, you'd have to apply the effect or look to the entire piece, and thus increasing rendering times and risk recompression and further destruction to your media. Some caveats or situtations to consider is when shooting comercial products, and respecting colors of their branded materials (i.e. matching a particular pantone color), then warming/color shifting should be avoided. (You still may need to use filters to correct color). The other fact is that in aquisiting, any lens filtering is a global shift in the scene, and if you want localized correction, that will have to be done in software, (with masks and keys), and you should shoot as neutral as possible. Printing your own warm, or minus green cards is ok so long as you know that your printer is setup and calibrated as well. I've done this already, however, for the cost, it's cheaper and convenient to buy a set of cards and ensure consistency from shoot to shoot. In regards to your HV20, test, test, test. Only you can judge if it's suitable for your situation. __________________ Pete Ferling http://ferling.net It's never a mistake if you learn something new from it. -------------------------------------------

March 24th, 2008, 07:19 PM	#5
Tony Moskal New Boot Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 12	Warm Cards Good with HV20 I find using the warm card 1 (and 2) for white balance to be a definite improvement over the HV20's WB, or auto White Balance. It takes a flat desaturated look and really 'warms up' skin tone quite nicely, saving extra color correction in post. There are other work-around's, but I find the warm cards to be convenient and worth the purchase price.

March 22nd, 2008, 05:14 AM	#2
Samuel Hinterlang Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA Posts: 79	You can color correct in post. If you have a budget for it, they are always nice to have. Saves some work later. If all your temps look good, why do the extra work in post? You have to do some amount of white balance without them anyway, just to get in the ballpark. imo anyway

March 22nd, 2008, 12:50 PM	#3
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Forum search is your friend: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=5434