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How to use Levels FX Controls?
After searching the Vegas Pro80 manual and online resources I can not find out how to use the various Levels controls. Gamma I understanbd, but the Input Start, Input End, Output Start and Output End have me stumped. I need to go beyond the canned-in settings. (I need to correct a gamma 1.0 source to gamma 2.2)
Is there any documentation for the more obscure Sony Standard Video Effects? Like a PDF that describes in detail how to use the various FX. Anyone have any good links to info like this?
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4 Replies
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Even without being able to read the text in this link you are probably able to understand the pictures that explain the use of LEVELS FX
https://www.videomontagefaq.nl/index.php?action=artikel&cat=374226&id=272&artlang=nlTheo
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Thanks for the quick reply Theo. That give me a little more infomation. I have a similar problem: to bring detail out of the deep shadow area. Do you know why there are two Input (Start and End) and two Output (Start and End) variables? Is that to change the adjustments over a time span?
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With the input levels, you select which pixels in your video are white and which pixels are black. This means that you devide the available pixelrange over the whole spectrum of 256 channels (in case of 8bit per color video).
By setting the output levels, you define black and white.
To bring more detail is an area of deep shadow, I would suggest to use the color curves.Theo
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Thanks again Theo!
After playing with the Input and Output controls, I found the key to using Levels is the Histogram display. Then the Input “Start” control acts on the shadow side like the black arrow on a Photoshop Levels histogram. The Input “End” control acts like the White arrow and the Gamma control acts like the gray arrow. Then the Output “Start” is like the black arrow on the bottom of a Photoshop histogram to move the shadow detail away from black while Output “End” moves highlight detail away from white.
Maybe Sony did not copy the Photoshop Levels layout to avoid violating a copyright? Now I will see if I can get the Curves tool to generate a “power” curve to convert the linear gamma to 2.2.
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