Poor lighting/Color correction

Is there ANY way to save a poorly light shot in post by color correcting it?

Is there ANY way to save a poorly light shot in post by color correcting it?

This is what most of us colorists do for a living -- it depends on the severity of the lighting problems what you can do with it. We can't re-hang lights (yet).

jPo

Is there ANY way to save a poorly light shot in post by color correcting it?

This is what most of us colorists do for a living -- it depends on the severity of the lighting problems what you can do with it. We can't re-hang lights (yet).

jPo

It's not that severe... but there's this one scene really lacking something in terms of emotional impact.

This is a murder scene shot in relatively low light, with mostly browns and greys, very dull looking...

Is there ANY way to save a poorly light shot in post by color correcting it?

This is what most of us colorists do for a living -- it depends on the severity of the lighting problems what you can do with it. We can't re-hang lights (yet).

jPo

It's not that severe... but there's this one scene really lacking something in terms of emotional impact.

This is a murder scene shot in relatively low light, with mostly browns and greys, very dull looking...

If the image does not have anything in your "raw data" then you might be out of luck. Lack of lighting cannot be artificially be done in post.

Can you post a frame before and after the color correction so we can have a look?

lacking something in terms of emotional impact.

Without seeing exactly what values exist, and if the original media source is robust enough to sustain some creative luminance transfer adjustments, my first instinct would be to see where some curves would take me. Flat, low light, limited gamut... these are not encouraging. How much detail do you need to keep at the toe/bottom end? Can you crush the bottom without clipping those values, and can you add some "pop" to the mids by pulling up on the luminance curve at some strategic point? Can you create a quasi-"rim" by qualifying some of the brighter parts of the shot (if they exist) and pushing in some kind of chromatic cue, like a blue (night) or amber/yellow (street) feeling? You're the painter.

jPo

lacking something in terms of emotional impact.

Without seeing exactly what values exist, and if the original media source is robust enough to sustain some creative luminance transfer adjustments, my first instinct would be to see where some curves would take me. Flat, low light, limited gamut... these are not encouraging. How much detail do you need to keep at the toe/bottom end? Can you crush the bottom without clipping those values, and can you add some "pop" to the mids by pulling up on the luminance curve at some strategic point? Can you create a quasi-"rim" by qualifying some of the brighter parts of the shot (if they exist) and pushing in some kind of chromatic cue, like a blue (night) or amber/yellow (street) feeling? You're the painter.

jPo

All I know sir, is I tried playing around with the shot and it doesn't work that well. I guess one would need to be a professional colorist to do what you're referring to above. I'm a director and I'm not qualified to do such work.

post a before/after frame, so we can see if we can suggest you something different.

tried playing around with the shot

Its that pesky "10,000 hours" thing. I don't try to direct on any more than an occasional and casual basis myself. There is a kind of zen to grading, sometimes.

jPo

tried playing around with the shot

Its that pesky "10,000 hours" thing. I don't try to direct on any more than an occasional and casual basis myself. There is a kind of zen to grading, sometimes.

jPo

Amen to the "10.000" hours.... (did you read "outliers"?)

And each of the colorist here will give a different answer based on experience/taste/skill etc...