Specifications

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Introducing Color Correction
Saturation values increase outward from the center of the circle.
An empty graph exhibits no color information and signifies a black-
and-white image. A graph with values that extend to the outside of the
circle are very saturated. Values that extend beyond the outside of the
circle exhibit saturation levels that are illegal for broadcast.
One very useful function of the Vectorscope is to match flesh tones
against the flesh tone line. Human flesh tones should rest along this line
and usually extend about one-third of the way from the middle of the circle.
4. Ensure that the image is broadcast safe: Check all luma and chroma
values to make sure that they meet the legal standards for broadcast
video signals. If levels need to be adjusted or clipped, perform these
steps using the Color Correction tool.
Unfortunately, in this book we won’t be able to detail all of the necessary
steps for start-to-finish color correction (such as ensuring broadcast-
legal video levels) or explore all of the available tools in Media Composer.
However, this chapter will teach basic techniques to give your images proper
contrast and neutral chroma balance using automatic color correction.
Using Automatic Color Correction
Automatic color correction is easy to learn, is quick to implement, and
can remove the most common color problems in many images. When you
apply one of the automatic color corrections, the Color Correction tool in
Media Composer analyzes the image’s existing color characteristics and
adjusts the color correction controls to reduce the specific color prob-
lem. Although these automatic adjustments are usually effective, they can
achieve results that aren’t precisely what you want. Therefore, it’s always
important to use your eyes as your primary tool to determine if automatic
results are acceptable or to find out whether you need to further adjust the
image manually. In fact, because automatic color correction adjusts con-
trols using a “best guess” approach, you will get the most out of automatic
color correction if you use it with manual correction techniques.
When to Use Automatic Color Correction
Many times, automatic color correction works very well, usually when the
image doesn’t have significant luma or chroma problems. In general, the
more severe the image problem, the less likely that automatic color correc-
tion will produce optimum results.
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