User Manual

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Lesson 12 Performing Primary ColorCorrections
Using Curves for Primary
ColorCorrections
In this exercise, you’ll look at the last method of creating a balance shot. Using the Custom
curves you’ll have the greatest degree of flexibility for making tonal and color adjustments
but it also requires a bit more finessing.
1 Select clip 15.
Looking at the image you can tell this shot is over exposed so we’ll correct that first.
2 Drag the offset master wheel to the left until it is around 5.00 to fit more of the trace
within the scope.
This shot has a wide dynamic range so the offset can only attempt to fit the majority
ofit within the HD scope. We’ll have to do more work on the highlights and shadows
tobring it all in range.
You will approach this shot in the same way you did the previous shots: first, you will
correct luminance.
NOTE On computers with lower screen resolution, you may have to click the
curves button to display the Curves palette.
The custom curve graph is a plot graph in which you can perform incredibly flexible
adjustments on specific tonal ranges of images. The X axis represents the image’s
tonal values going from the darkest shadows on the left to the brightest highlights on
the right. Along the Y axis are the output, or offset, values with darker adjustments
placed lower in the graph and brighter adjustments placed higher.