User Manual

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The following image shows the interaction of extreme corrections made to a grayscale image
using all three Color Balance controls. Lift has been pushed toward green, Gamma has been
pushed toward blue, and Gain has been pushed toward red.
Extreme adjustments showing the overlap of the Lift, Gamma, and
Gain color balance controls
Notice how, even though these corrections are extreme, the colors blend smoothly. This is the
reason for the broad overlap among all three controls, and why Lift, Gamma, and Gain are so
effective in making corrections to the ambient color temperature of a scene to account for
inconsistencies in lighting or camera settings.
3-Way Master Wheel Adjustments
The Master Wheels located below the Color Balance controls let you precisely modify image
contrast by YRGB adjustments, which individually alter the black point, the white point, and
distribution of midtones that fall in-between.
These controls correspond to the rings surrounding the trackballs on the DaVinci
control surface.
Lift: Lets you adjust the perceived shadow density of the image by altering the black
point of the image. Dragging the Lift master wheel to the left makes the darkest values
in the image darker, increasing the distance between the black and white points of
the image, and stretching all the midtone values in-between. Dragging the Lift master
wheel to the right makes the darkest values in the image lighter, reducing contrast and
squeezing all the midtone values between the black and white points.
Gamma: Lets you adjust the overall perceived lightness of the image by altering the
distribution of midtones that fall between the Lift and Gain master wheel settings.
Dragging the Gamma master wheel to the left darkens the overall image, while
dragging it to the right brightens it. Most Gamma contrast adjustments have a minimal
effect on the black and white point of the image, but large adjustments may push either
boundary of image lightness farther out. This interaction is described in more detail
below.
Gain: Lets you adjust the lightness of the highlights by altering the white point of the
image. Dragging the Gain master wheel to the left makes the lightest values of the
image darker, squeezing the midtones between the white and black points of the
image. Dragging Gain to the right makes the lightest values even lighter, eventually
clipping at maximum white.
Chapter – 117 Primary Grading Controls 2654