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Picture Brightness: a real dilemma and headache!
The timeline for my short film is completely finished and “locked” but I noticed when I stream the picture to my JVC 1080p lcd hdtv (model EM39FT) all of the images appear much brighter than I originally edited using my macbook pro retina display. I checked the TV monitor settings and all settings including brightness are set at the “50” standard level.
This is a real dilemma because many images contain masks I created in after effects to black out extraneous areas that should not be seen in the setting, and now when I stream on my the tv monitor I can see these masks clearly and it looks artificial. But when viewing on my laptop display or other desktop monitors it looks fine…
When I edit the image adjusting to the TV the problem is that all the images appear TOO dark on my laptop, so I have these questions..
1) Which image should I trust and conform my editing to — the one shown on the TV or my laptop?
2) Why is there such a difference in brightness?
3) I will be screening this in a digital cinema theater (DCP) should I calibrate image based off of the TV quality?
4) How do I manage this brightness problem?Any help or insight into this dilemma is greatly appreciated. I’m having a lot of trouble with this.
Thanks so much,
Aaron -
5 Replies
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All your monitors need to be calibrated.
The player software itself can also have an impact.
Calibration must be done with professional calibration equipment.
Your grading should be done with calibrated monitor and scopes.
TV and Theater viewing environments may be different and some colorists take that into account when setting up their grading environment. -
Thanks Craig for your response —
could provide some more explanation on the player software possibly having an impact?
Do you have any professional calibration equipment you would recommend (that isn;t too much $). Is this equipment to calibrate my laptop or the hdtv?
Thanks
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For computer monitor calibration you can use the X-Rite i1 Display Pro.It can calibrate to Rec709 but for various reasons it won’t be the same as a calibrated broadcast monitor. This would be the important first step so you have some confidence in what you’re seeing relative to Rec709.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/798930-REG/X_Rite_EODIS3_i1Display_Pro.htmlThere are calibration kits for HDTVs
One method involves using “Expert” mode on your HDTV
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1975752,00.aspThis involves using a calibration disc.
https://lifehacker.com/5858625/how-to-calibrate-your-hdtv-and-boost-your-video-quality-in-30-minutes-or-lessEither way, it still may not be the same as your calibrated computer monitor but at least you may be a bit closer.
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[Aaron Zomback] “could provide some more explanation on the player software possibly having an impact?”
Players often decode files with different impact. Playing in VLC, Quicktime X, Windows Media Player, Telestream Switch may show different results. My preference would be to use the free version of Switch since it’s designed for professional video use specifically.
https://www.telestream.net/switch/overview.htm -
thanks so much craig.
I went ahead with thx tune app method. as you said its probably not perfect but atleast it provides me some peace of mind that I’m in the ballpark.
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