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OT: Color grading for Cinema Projection
Hi Guys,
I’m wondering if anyone has any tips and suggestions of how to tweak video for Cinema Projection? We have an HDV deck hooked up via component to a digital 1080i projector, and the 1080p 25 DVCPRO HD video was cut in FCP and graded in Color. (We aren’t projecting DVCPRO HD due to the projector requiring component input and our the only available HD deck on the island having SDI HD output.)The resolution of the projected 1080i HDV image is good but in general the colour of the whole piece is washed out and dark compared to the graded image on a standard monitor.
I figure this is down to the quality and power of the projector bulb, distance from the screen and projected screen size. On minimum zoom the image looks much better, but fits about an 8th of the theatre screen size. Full zoom, and it fits about half the screen- we need it as big as possible. But with more zoom comes lower brightness and more washed out colours.Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could affect the pictures in Color or FCP to improve the image quality when projected at full zoom? Is it really just a matter of increasing contrast, the blacks, mids and lows by 10-15% for the whole film?
I have 7 days to try and improve the pictures, so any help at all would be really appreciated!
Thanks,Simon
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2 Replies
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Almost sounds like the projector itself is not that great if it looks good
at 1/8th the original size.There are some gamma differences but that kind of workflow means you
need a Christie or Barco DLP projector in the same room. You grade
in the theatre to ensure it looks the same.I’m not really sure there is much you could do as it really sounds
like the projector is not rated for the theatre its in. Anything you
do could be hit or miss, unless you can bring your system in to
the theatre -
Aside from darkening the theater or adjusting the brightnes, contrast, chroma and phase adjustments (which may be called tint and colour) in the projector menu, you are hooped. I’d dig around a bit harder locally, it’s hard to believe a stronger projector is not available in this day and age. Try large hotels or conference centers or another theater. There are adapters/converters to go to/from analog component to HDSDI and HDMI also.
“thou can not stir a flower without crumbling a star” ……Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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