Was not sure if I should post this in camera setups or in here as it can apply to both and if you do not do both it is risky on auto or downright blah if you don't correct after. I will let the moderators decide if this should be in the other thread or at least a link there to get people here.
There has been a lot of talk recently in the various forums and FB places I follow about color correction. I research the crap out of things as I am always looking to get information from someone that is experienced and then start from there for my own testing purposes. I am not home so I can not look at my cameras but I wanted to get this thread started and Talk a bit about why the camera needs to be set up if you plan on using software to edit your color. I will add my camera setting later so others can try the same to see if it works for them.
Why take the camera out of auto?
If your camera is in auto mode for settings it will make adjustments during the video as it sees fit. This means if you go from bright sunlight to a dark road with overhanging trees it will make an adjustment at some point after you enter the trees. If you are going to use the camera on auto and not correct this is fine. If you are planning to color grade this can be a problem. If you correct the sunlight portion, the tree portion can turn out too dark or too saturated and look bad. The opposite can be true if you correct the tree footage. By putting your camera if possible into manual setting you are guaranteeing that no automatic adjustments will be made during the video. You want people to know that it got darker when you went under the trees, it will make them feel like they are there with you! If the camera changes white balance, color settings or shutter speeds it can make color correcting a nightmare without chopping the video up.
By putting White balance at a set value (dependent on the day), ISO, shutter speed, EV comp etc to set values and color to flat you are getting a constant video that can be corrected later with ease. Some testing may be required to get what you like out of it. I had tuned my camera in and then decided after more research I wanted to change the shutter speed, when I returned home I discovered that I had opened it too much and recorded my video in over exposed bright conditions. I was able to correct this and use the footage but barely.
I am going to talk about GoPro settings, this is the camera I use and most high end cameras should have some if not all of these settings. WILL ADD TO THIS POST LATER WITH CAMERA IN HAND
There has been a lot of talk recently in the various forums and FB places I follow about color correction. I research the crap out of things as I am always looking to get information from someone that is experienced and then start from there for my own testing purposes. I am not home so I can not look at my cameras but I wanted to get this thread started and Talk a bit about why the camera needs to be set up if you plan on using software to edit your color. I will add my camera setting later so others can try the same to see if it works for them.
Why take the camera out of auto?
If your camera is in auto mode for settings it will make adjustments during the video as it sees fit. This means if you go from bright sunlight to a dark road with overhanging trees it will make an adjustment at some point after you enter the trees. If you are going to use the camera on auto and not correct this is fine. If you are planning to color grade this can be a problem. If you correct the sunlight portion, the tree portion can turn out too dark or too saturated and look bad. The opposite can be true if you correct the tree footage. By putting your camera if possible into manual setting you are guaranteeing that no automatic adjustments will be made during the video. You want people to know that it got darker when you went under the trees, it will make them feel like they are there with you! If the camera changes white balance, color settings or shutter speeds it can make color correcting a nightmare without chopping the video up.
By putting White balance at a set value (dependent on the day), ISO, shutter speed, EV comp etc to set values and color to flat you are getting a constant video that can be corrected later with ease. Some testing may be required to get what you like out of it. I had tuned my camera in and then decided after more research I wanted to change the shutter speed, when I returned home I discovered that I had opened it too much and recorded my video in over exposed bright conditions. I was able to correct this and use the footage but barely.
I am going to talk about GoPro settings, this is the camera I use and most high end cameras should have some if not all of these settings. WILL ADD TO THIS POST LATER WITH CAMERA IN HAND