Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
display, but increasingly, even serious colorists are turning to LCD (liq-
uid crystal display) monitors and projectors as CRTs have been phased
out. Future monitor technologies, like SED (surface conduction elec-
tron emitter display), hold great promise, but are not available as of the
writing of this topic. OLED (organic light emitting diode) technology
seems to be the current gold standard for reproducing the rich blacks
that CRTs were able to achieve.
For now, you may use the image on the pages of the topic itself, but
you may also find this image on the DVD as a QuickTime file. The dura-
tion of each of the tutorial clips is quite short, in order to get as much data
onto the disk as possible.
Import the file into whatever application you choose to use to do the
tutorials. This might be Apple's Color, DaVinci's Resolve, IRIDAS's Speed-
Grade (now owned by Adobe), Discreet's Lustre, Synthetic Aperture's
Color Finesse, any of the Avid products, Apple's Final Cut Pro or Shake,
or Adobe's Premiere or After Effects. There are obviously more desktop
color correctors, compositors, and nonlinear editing systems with color
correction capabilities as well. If you want to, you could even attempt
these corrections with Adobe Photoshop.
Looking at this footage, you can see that the image has very little con-
trast and is quite washed out, with very little bottom (see the sidebar “The
Language of Music and Color” on this page). There are no darker tones to
anchor the midrange and highlights. The subject is poorly separated from
the background elements. Looking at the waveform monitor indicates
W A R N I N G
Please understand that
your purchase of this topic
does not include the rights
to use the tutorial images
on the disk for any purpose
other than to complete the
tutorials in this topic.
D e f i n i t i o n
clipping: An electronic
limit on the maximum
brightness of an image
(usually imposed in the
camera) to avoid overly
bright or hot signals, or
simply due to the fact that
the imaging or recording
medium can't perceive or
record any greater bright-
ness. Images recorded with
portions where that level
were exceeded will have
lost picture information—
detail—where the image
exceeded the level.
Clipping can usually be per-
ceived on a waveform as a
flattening out of the top of
the trace into a sharp white
horizontal line. Clipping is
also possible on the low
end of the signal, but that
is generally referred to as
“crushing.” It is also pos-
sible for clipping to occur in
individual color channels.
An artifact of clipping is
the flattening out of tonal
or color detail.
The Language of Music and Color
As someone who has hung out and performed with musicians most of his life, and who
has had the chance to hear the unique language of colorists as well, I have noticed that
the language of these two groups of artists is remarkably similar.
The example of the word “bottom” is used in both worlds. In music, it refers to
having bass tones or low frequencies. To a colorist, it means blacks and deep shadows.
Musicians and colorists also refer to images and music as being “warm” or “cool.”
“Tone,” “color,” “midrange,” “high end,” “low end,” and “shading” are often
discussed by musicians. These words are obviously important to colorists as well. Adding
“sparkle” or “depth” are things desired by both groups. “Spreading the tonal range”
and “creating definition” are common goals. Having something that sounds or looks
“thin” is bad for either group, while having an image or a sound that is “fat” is usually
desirable. (And I don't mean “phat.”) Other common words include “tension,” “con-
trast,” “texture,” and “brightness.”
To both groups, these are words that cross the artistic divide between the aural arts
and the visual arts. What connects them is emotion.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search