Working with Color and Color Correction
 
Common Color Correction Tools

Terms

  • Gamma - tool that primarily affects the midtones of an image. Black and White points will not be changed (0,1)
  • Gain - Raises White point evenly through intensity, but leaves black point alone
  • Offset (Brightness) - Raises all intensity including Black and White points evenly
  • Levels - provides controls to remap the white and black points of an image, along with a Gamma control to adjust the midtones, all at once
    • Histogram - A histogram graphs the number of pixels at each brightness level in an images
  • Channels - Color distribution for each component of an image (R, G, B)
  • Contrast - Distribution of intensity between the black and white points in an image.
 

Working Directly with Color

  • Channel Mixer/Channel Swap - Allows cross-mixing of red, green, blue, and alpha channels into one another
  • HSV Adjust
  • YIQ, YUV Adjust
  • Exposure
 

Working with Shadow, Midtones, and Highlights

  • Levels
  • Color Balance
  • Gamma (midtones only)
  • 3-Way Color Corrector (FCP, Color)
 
Color Correction Process
  • Primary Color Correction - affects the whole image utilizing control over intensities of red, green, blue, gamma (mid tones), shadows (blacks) and highlights (whites)
  • Secondary Color Correction - refers to being able to adjust one color value in a scene without affecting other colors, also referred to as selective color correction
    • May require mattes and/or tracking processes
  • Color Correction for Keying
    • Match black and white points
      • Levels Input Black and Input White expands black and white points
    • Match contrast
      • Gamma correction
    • Match hue and saturation