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Trouble Brightening the dark shark tank exhibit
Apparently “Sony Color Curves” and “Sony Levels” are to be used instead of the basic “brightness” FX. I understand that, but there seems to be confusion (at least my own) on when or if I should use both Curves and Levels or one or the other to brighten a dark scene.
I am trying to brighten a scene I shot at SeaWorld of the indoor shark tank exhibit, which is obviously a dark environment. I am using only Color Curves and am having difficulty brightening the scenes enough to see the sharks. I guess I need to find the happy middleground, because if I brighten the shots too much, I’m getting a blooming (I guess it’s called “blooming”) or ghosting/washed out effect on different parts of the image (not the whole image).
Is there something in Color Curves I may be doing wrong that is producing this or is it just a matter of brightening it too much? That diagonal line in Curves can be frustrating. It’s still difficult, even with my calibrated Sony monitor.
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5 Replies
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Can you post a snapshot that can be played with?
Edward Troxel
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https://pages.prodigy.net/kdi/shark_raw_footage_still.jpg
https://pages.prodigy.net/kdi/shark_with_problem_areas.jpg
I have uploaded two stills: the raw footage still and the problem areas still.
The problem areas shot demonstrates that on some of the black parts of the shot, there are ghosting or blooming effects–maybe from too much contrast?
The shark itself doesn’t show this effect as blatantly. The problem areas aren’t seen as easily on a PC monitor.During this same shot, the camera tilts up to where the lighting is more appropriate, so I have to be careful how much I brighten the sharks, but at the same time avoid this undesired effect around the sides of the shot.
Please let me know what I could use and what settings seem to be appropriate. I, as a beginner to Vegas, find Color Curves and the diagonal line difficult. Thanks.
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At first I thought that these were black frames. Wow those are dark. I’d be weighing the time spent correcting Vs the time spent reshooting.
Others will have better ideas, I’m sure. Normally, I’d use levels because they’re a little simpler. I suppose another possibility to add to the mix is to create a loose mask to suppress the levels adjustment on areas that are “not shark”. That might kill some of your blooming.
I don’t envy you.
Rob Mack
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Yeh, this is vacation video I took out in San Diego, so a reshoot isn’t in the cards. The shark exhibit was an indoor, very darkly lit room of water (above you and to the sides)–complete with a moving walkway, which produces incredible tracking shots <
>. As I tilted the cam up, the brightness levels are quite good, but I would have gotten thrown out had I pulled out some portable lights and I didn’t want to ride the gain. I’ll keep tweaking it…. -
By the time you’re done you’re going to have some great skills!
I lit a similar place in San francisco many years ago. It was for a job and we had the cooperation of the aquarium so what I did was get in their raft and refocus their exhibit lights over the tank.
Lights outside the glass can make really dissorient the tank dwellers so they weren’t allowed. In fact, I’ve heard stories of a large tank dweller killing itself against the glass over at the Steinhart aquarium in Golden Gate park.
When it rains it pours. I also got to do a bunch of lighting at the Monterey Bay Aquarium about the same time. Good times.
Rob Mack
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