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Adjusting Photoshop Levels for Final Cut?
Am prepping a number of graphics for inclusion in the DV project I’m now editing (in FCP 5). For the graphics, I’m using Photoshop Elements (v 3 for Mac).
I’d like to hear from others who’ve created Photoshop images for use in Final Cut on the issue of Levels: specifically, the best way to adjust Levels of an image before importing it into FCP (to compensate for that gamma difference, that causes images which look fine on the computer to seem washed out on video, and normal video images to look dark and muddy on the computer.)
Do you use only the middle slider on the Input Levels control in Photoshop, making the grays darker before importing into FCP; or do you use only the black and white sliders on either side — a move which darkens the blacks but also lightens the whites? And what are your rules-of-thumb for how much to adjust them?
(Two different approaches to this question can be found at
“PhotoShop for Video Tips and Tricks” by Lee Rickwood; and at <https://larryjordan.biz/articles/lj_image_prep.html> “Prepping Still Images for Video” by Larry Jordan.) Would enjoy hearing how your experience compares.
jb
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John Bertram
minor gem productions
http://www.minorgem.com
Toronto, CanadaCheck out a special project preview at http://www.BondedPairs.com
Member:
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
(branches: Director/Editor/Screenwriter);
Writers Guild of Canada;
LIFT (Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto) -
4 Replies
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You really don’t need to put the same question up in every FCP forum but if you do, please go back and close them when you get a decent, useful answer. My suggestion is EchoFire by Synthetic Aperture. you can screw around all day adjusting those dumb little sliders in Photoshop but if you’ve got a broadcast monitor and a set of scopes, EchoFire will give totally objective engineer-grade indications of everything you want to know.
bogiesan
This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”
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If you have CS2 and a firewire device connected to your broadcast monitor, you can view the image directly from photoshop. Just go to “File” then “Export” then “Video Preview”. I’m sure EchoFire is a much better solution though.
My use of gamma correction in photoshop is not technical. I choose the gamma correction based on artistic choice. However, there is a wonderful artical by Graeme Nattress on Ken Stone’s site. He touches on gamma correction, but more importantly (for me anyway), he covers “White” and “Super White” with FCP. This is something that got me when I first got my FCP system. https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/video_levels_nattress.html If nothing else, at least read the “Things To Remember” section at the bottom. That alone should help a lot. But basically, no matter how much effort you take to be sure you are seeing your photoshop image on your TV and through your scopes while you correct it in photoshop, if you don’t have your timeline setting in Final Cut Pro, called
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[garyh357] “If you have CS2 and a firewire device connected to your broadcast monitor, you can view the image directly from photoshop. Just go to “File” then “Export” then “Video Preview”.”
Whoa. I didn’t know that. (removes head from video-centric sphincter and learns something new everyday)
Thanks!
bogiesan
This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”
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Gary:
Just a belated thanks for the Level-headed advice, and the link to Graeme’s comprehensive (as always) article.
jb
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John Bertram
minor gem productions
http://www.minorgem.com
Toronto, CanadaCheck out a special project preview at http://www.BondedPairs.com
Member:
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
(branches: Director/Editor/Screenwriter);
Writers Guild of Canada;
LIFT (Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto)
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