Dark Mini DV Video needs lightened

I have shot some video with my Sony Mini DV Camera of my band playing. Unfortunately, the video has come out pretty dark. Colored lights were used and some areas you can see better than others, but overall the video is generally dark. It is ok for general viewing, but now I may need to use it for more than that. Is it possible to lighten up the video once I transfer it to my computer?? Ifso, what is the best way or software?? I am able to purchase whatever it will take. If it is possible, can it be lightened up considerably without any or at least minimal loss of quality? I am obvioisly a newbie and did search the forums but I didnt come up with too much helpful information. Thanks for any help!! John

If you are using DV format, you need to learn about VirtualDub. You will need to install a DV codec, the Panasonic DV Codec works for me. VD, or my favorite version, VirtualDub Mod, has many filters available to work with AVIs like DV.

Go to http://neuron2.net/ for a good selection. I use 'White Balance' which is a good all around filter. Adjust Gamma (lightness), saturation, hue, brightness, contrast and white balance all in one. Another is RGB which lets you adjust the individual colors. VD by itself has built in brightness and contrast filters. Also a lot of noise and enhancement filters.

If you click on VirtualDub, it will take you to our 'Tool' page for VD. Near the bottom of the page, a lot of VD guides. With the DV codec installed, you can edit, filter, change the audio format, and much more. And you can frameserve the edited content directly to a MPEG encoder like TMPGEnc and avoid having to store an edited file. Saves hard drive space. VD is a good DV editor.

Best of all, it's freeware.

And welcome to our forums.

The Levels filter in VirtualDub is also quite useful.

You should also check the video on your final viewing choice. If you plan on watching your video on TV, then check the brightness on that, as computer monitors can be quite a bit "darker" than TV.

Thanks for the replys.

Redwudz: Thanks for the useful information. I have aquired Virtual Dub and a couple filters mentioned. Now, all I need to do is learn how to use it. I was able to load it and play with the filters, but first pass as I played with the settings, I kept getting a washed out look. Maybe all I need is more time with it. Thanks!!! And also thanks for the Welcome!!

Jagabo: Thanks for your reply. I did find that filter and played with it a little bit. I will continue to do so.

KBeee: On some viewing devices I can adjust the brightness to help a little, but not enough in most cases. Also, Some of the people that will need to view the video are not technical enough to even know they can adjust their tv, so I want to try and get the video bright enough for no device adjustments to be necessary. Thanks!!

Any other input still welcome! John

It can be a little tricky to lighten up dark video. Often when it is dark, there is not a lot of detail there. Try lightening it a little, then add some contrast. You can also adjust the color balance slightly and maybe add some sharpening. As mentioned, the 'Levels' filter is very handy to be able to change the bright, midrange and low light levels all in one place.

I don't use the default brightness/contrast filter as it doesn't have a preview. I use 'White Balance' instead.

Using filters is kind of a learned experience. You have to experiment. Less filtering is usually better. Apply too much and you can end up with a 'plastic' look. I use the 'Preview filtered' option a lot to see how it really looks in motion.

Those filters can be rearranged for order of filtering too, sometimes that can make a difference.

You can spend a lot of time digging through all the filters on neuron2, and that's not all of the ones available. For more, do a Google search for 'VirtualDub filters'.

EDIT: KBeee is likely talking about how TV's and computer monitors display the same video differently. If you are planning to display it on a TV, don't lighten it so it looks good on the computer, it may then be too light for a TV display. Burn a little to a DVD RW before you make your final adjustment. You can save your filter settings also by using 'Save Processing settings', if you want to go back to where you were later.

Just to echo what has already been said. DV footage will always look dark on a computer monitor but will look fine when viewed on a TV without having to adjust any brightness settings. Try playing the footage back through a TV and you may find you don't have to do any filtering at all. For this reason, although I use an LCD monitor on my computer, I preview my video on a TV connected to the TV out.

If it is footage of a live band, if you do need to lighten it, don't do it by too much or you'll lose the atmosphere of a live gig.