Color Matching – For Real?

[Oliver Peters]

[peter tours] “I have posted two dozen stills”

This page with your images is locked.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Peter Tours]

Oliver – I just created a new guest pass for you https://flickr.com/gp/52396929@N08/88328A/

thanks for your input, peter

Peter Tours
TnT Video Services, Inc.
Fort Lauderdale, FL

TRI EA5 1974-1977
Convergence ECS1B 1977-1979
Sony BVE 500 1979 – 1984
Datatron Vanguard 1984 – 1993
GVG VPE141 1993 – 1998
Media 100 1995 – 2006
Final Cut Pro 2005 to infinity and beyond!

[Oliver Peters]

I did a quick test with some of your images. Here are some of the files after grading:

https://files.me.com/opedit/n8417v

The problems that I see can be made better by any color correction software. This was done in FCP X using Match Color and additional subjective correction. One concern I have is that many of these are dark and over-saturated. As you correct such issues, the images will become a lot noisier, but that’s the nature of the beast. I would recommend staying with the FCP 7 3-way, but also look at a couple of freebees – the Haiku Face Light and Vignette filters.

https://haiku.com.au/

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Peter Tours]

Oh this is rich – the DP says it’s happening in edit when the P2 files are ingested via the Duel Adaptor, which recently stopped working, like due to OS updates (10.5.8 used to work…).

But I am trying to tell them, there’s no way it was the Duel or FCP or anything in post.

The blame game never ends!

Peter Tours
TnT Video Services, Inc.
Fort Lauderdale, FL

TRI EA5 1974-1977
Convergence ECS1B 1977-1979
Sony BVE 500 1979 – 1984
Datatron Vanguard 1984 – 1993
GVG VPE141 1993 – 1998
Media 100 1995 – 2006
Final Cut Pro 2005 to infinity and beyond!

[Oliver Peters]

[peter tours] ” the DP says it’s happening in edit when the P2 files are ingested”

That’s a good one! Highly unlikely. The L&T ingest leaves the codec native and rewraps the files with MOV containers. What I saw in your images was entirely in-camera or in lighting (or lack thereof). My guess is that the on-set/on-location monitoring wasn’t set right. Likely someone fiddled with the controls on the monitor until they saw an image they liked.

Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Peter Tours]

Oliver – if I already owned X I suppose it would be of help but you are of course correct about just using the 3way.

Besides, everyone loves a 3way ;)~

Peter Tours
TnT Video Services, Inc.
Fort Lauderdale, FL

TRI EA5 1974-1977
Convergence ECS1B 1977-1979
Sony BVE 500 1979 – 1984
Datatron Vanguard 1984 – 1993
GVG VPE141 1993 – 1998
Media 100 1995 – 2006
Final Cut Pro 2005 to infinity and beyond!

[T. Payton]

My 2 cents:

I wouldn’t throw FCP X Color Matching completely under the bus. I’ve had some fantastic results with similarly lit and images. Sometimes it works really well, other times not exactly what I expected. It is always worth a try.

For what it is worth I have used Apple Color extensively, I also recommend Robbie Carmon’s course on Color at Lynda.com. It will make you comfortable with the program.

However, FCP X really does have some excellent tools that are RGB float based rather than YUV which makes then behave much more like Apple Color rather than the 3-way color correctors in FCP 7. I would recommend Denver Riddles free color grading crash course on FCP X here:

https://www.colorgradingcentral.com/final-cut-pro-x-color-grading-table-of-contents

I too pulled in some of your images and I was able to get something I would consider pleasing color very quickly. However, I wouldn’t suggest FCP X as an intermediate step in your workflow. If you’re going all the way FCP X then it would be a good tool. Stick with FCP 7 and get pleasing color. Then after picture lock then bring it into Color or other solution.

– T.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[Glen Hurd]

Just wanted to add that anytime you’re dealing with lifting video out of the mud, noise becomes your number 1 enemy – faster than if you’re dealing with stills. Especially if you want to keep contrast and push your saturation up to more natural levels. For $100, neat video has an incredibly effective solution with FCP. Check out https://www.neatvideo.com/examples.html.
You can download a demo, as well.
It takes some experimenting to bring out its best features (use the advanced settings), but it will allow you to be much more aggressive when lifting shots that would normally be borderline usable. And you will probably like what it does to the actresses’ skin as well.

Personally, I use the filter first, before doing any CC work, so any amplification is being applied to an already smooth image. It also lets you control what size details you want to preserve or smooth over, so you can soften subtle camera/skin noise, while preserving patterns on dresses, flowers, etc. Give it a shot. Your DP will thank you 😉