Correcting white balance using Sony Vegas

[Wile_E]

Hello again VH friends.

I am working on transferring a 15-year-old wedding video from VHS to DVD for a friend. The video was shot with several camcorders at different angles, and each camcorder white balance is off. Most of the video either has a bluish or a dark pinkish color cast. Whoever shot this video way back then, didn't properly adjust white balance on the camcorders. So now, 15 years later, it's my job to try and fix it. Inside the church, it also looks very dim at times, like the camcorders iris was closing down.

My work flow is going from JVC SVHS 9911u -> Canopus ADVC (DV-AVI) -> Sony Vegas 7. My LCD display and my LCD TV have both been properly calibrated using a friend's Spyder 2 Pro calibrator. So what I'm seeing, should be true to what was recorded on tape.

I would like advice on how to properly set white balance in Vegas. I think I'm doing it properly, but want to verify with you guys. I am currently using the Color Corrector video FX which shows low/mid/high tone color wheels. I choose the complimentary dropper for the high tone, and choose a color in the video that should be white, like the bride's dress. I've also been viewing the RGB Parade to make sure each color is about even on the scope. Is it necessary to also adjust low and mid tones color wheels?

Here are examples of photos in SPLIT SCREEN mode taken within Vegas. Left side shows uncorrected image, straight from tape. Right side is white balance and color corrected

[fredfillis]

While I'm very much a beginner, your workflow seems to be pretty much the conventional wisdom. I've found that any one clip often needs to be split into smaller chunks as it often needs different correction in different places.

For most clips, I use only levels and then the color corrector. I use the low in the same way, select an area that should be black (or blackish). You can use the mid wheel by selecting an area of light shadow (some recommend selecting skin). The mid wheel does not always make much difference. Playing around is the way to arrive at something that works for the clip being corrected.

Once you get what you want, save the settings! You can then use them again on other clips as the starting point for more tweaking.

I have the AVDC 300 and use an external TV as my preview device. The results I get from old tapes are pretty good and get better as I get more experienced.

[Undead Sega]

does Sony Vegas correct the White Balance automatically?

[fredfillis]

Does it have an Auto setting? No, not that I'm aware of.

There are some presets that can be used with the color corrector (and most Fx, actually), you can save your tweaks and re-use them on other clips / projects and, of course, there is scripting capability.

[mwkurt]

Hello,

May I suggest to you to download Mike Crash's Auto Levels filter for Vegas and try it. I have used it in the past and it is a wonderful filter for getting consistant levels from shot to shot.
Give it a try!
http://www.mikecrash.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownloaddetails&lid=47&tt...le=Auto_Levels

[fredfillis]

Hello,

May I suggest to you to download Mike Crash's Auto Levels filter for Vegas and try it. I have used it in the past and it is a wonderful filter for getting consistant levels from shot to shot.
Give it a try!
http://www.mikecrash.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownloaddetails&lid=47&tt...le=Auto_Levels

Nice tip, Mike has some other interesting stuff there that I'll try out too.

[Frederic Baumann]

A new white balance correction plugin is available for Vegas Pro 10 (both 32 and 64 bits): http://fredericbaumann.free.fr/FBMSoftware

On the web site there is a link to a benchmark comparing it to other ways of fixing white balance, and concluding it's the best one.

There is also a quick video showing how it works.

Hope this helps, best regards,
Frederic Baumann