General Color Correction

[elmuz]

Is there a general rule for color correcting videos? ...even basic things.
Let's say I feel the video to be darker or lighter of poor of contrast and so on... how can I be sure it is a techinal degradation instead of an artistic choice?

[edDV]

Is there a general rule for color correcting videos? ...even basic things.
Let's say I feel the video to be darker or lighter of poor of contrast and so on... how can I be sure it is a techinal degradation instead of an artistic choice?

Some basics.

1. Set your chosen video players (computer and DVD/BD players) to play known good video properly. A quick way to do this is with the THX optimizer found on many commercial DVD discs.
http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/thx-optimizer/
http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/thx-certified-releases/

2. If a given video then plays light or dark, it is a technical problem or director's intent. If playing off broadcast/cable, or off a VOB, it is probably intent.

3. General fix it rule is fix luminance first especially black level. That gets you 80-90% to the fix.