Info: Battle Of Yavin - Color Corrections

I have been messing around with the Battle of Yavin recently.

I wanted to share some of the Color Corrections I have done as I think some people may find them interesting. Just thought I would share some stills perhaps it can be a help or perhaps it can be an indicator of doing something wrong myself.

Anyway I plan to do a small series of posts showing some of what I found and what I did. Hope it helps. You will have to compare them yourself to what ever source you like. It’s still a WIP but mostly done so consider it more or less final (95%) but then never say final. Would be happy to see any comments or comparisons or discussion.

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This is all before flying to the deathstar

More to follow soon.

Edit having looked at the Yavin Graphic Display I just reverted it to my initial first Pass see below

This as well this is one of the most difficult. Still not decided on it but I think this is what I am settled with.

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I have been trying like mad to get rid of Leia’s Blotchy face. Anyone ever managed it? I definitely think it needs to be dark like this but can not seem to be able to get rid of the red and Yellow / green Blotch on her face. Unless I really darken it and that makes me think it meant to be even darker than this…

Ok well it’s a mixture of Sources so it is a bit tricky. I also went through and tweaked saturation levels because of Neverar greats comment. And I re-rendered the clip. But now I have to redo the saturation levels on some of the cockpits but the colors are the same. Anyway. I intend to keep moving forward.

Look at the Special edition for the cockpits and the original Film not sure which source it was for the Yavin Base. There is no Magic Lut it’s done shot by shot.

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^Needs more saturation

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^ Needs more Saturation

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Hope you enjoying it and finding it interesting. Some of the Cockpit shots require a Hue alteration anywhere between 0.5% to 8% most reside in the 0% to 4.5% only a couple of freaks shots go as far out of hue at the 8% range I think there was 1 shot that needed a -1.5% or something out of about the 50 odd that there are.

Edit I put up comparison with Special edition version.

^…^ said:

Also, a before-after comparison would help…

The problem is I do not have a snapshot function. So you would not get the same frame also it requires a lot more work to do that due to not having a snapshot function.

Can you do without the before and after and cope with only the after?

You could simply watch it on YouTube or something or put the dvd on?

You noticed I took the snapshots as screen grabs.

Thanks for the interest.

If it is no good like this then I won’t bother posting the outcomes.

I posted some comparisons to current special edition version. It got a bit screwed up but there are there now.

Like I said there is no one particular setting you can put across these shots and magically make them all right. But the trend seems to be as follows.

Blue Contrast needs to be increased
Green Contrast Needs to be increased or lessened
Red contrast needs to be increased some of the time but it’s the most correct out of RGB

Hue alterations between 0.5% and 8%

most color Push is Push Blue spectrum and Green spectrum as a staple
Magenta and Red on frequent occasion
Yellow on rare occasion
Cyan on rare occasion

Gains / Value either lowering or pushing the bottom end
Lowering or pushing the Middle Values more frequently lowering
Highs are not to bad

Gamma and brightness only touched for around 15 - 20 shots

Saturation up and down like a Yo-Yo

What software are you using that won’t let you just export the frame with and without your settings?

This won’t help you with getting exact matching frames, but if you use VLC and just click Video -> Take snapshot, it’ll export the full frame for you to a folder, instead of print screen, opening photoshop, saving, etc. I have not seen someone use windows media player in a long time. A long time. 😉

The reason I am not using VLC to take snapshots is because it DOES NOT display the correct contrast of a video it increases contrast for some unknown reason (only Slightly) and I have also known it to play audio with a very small delay also when it’s perfectly in synch when you open it in Windows Media Player. I do need to update VLC though but anyway it’s something I noticed.

I like VLC media player but I have noticed some issues with it. Free software like the video editing suite I need to upgrade and pay for the package to be able to export images basically. Whilst it’s all the tools are available just not all the export settings are available.

I am using Lightworks for the Video. It’s ok a bit glitchy and both user friendly and not very user friendly it has it quirks. But it is alright.

Lightworks is great and also stupid and a bit of a nightmare but I can’t complain because it’s got very good color correction features. Video Speed is a nightmare and things like that on it. And Audio in Lightworks is a bad joke. But it’s ok and it’s not horrible or anything but it is limited.

Hey Ronster, amazing work on the colour corrections. However, the orange on Porkin’s shirt is a little lighter on the AFTER screenshot.

Well what it looks like in the editor looks exactly like WMP. other wise if it is actually outputting at a higher contrast then that makes the editor I am using totally defunct. Because what I am seeing is then not what is being output?

Basically I color corrected it to look like this in the editor. So this is what it look like when I did the color correction not what plays in VLC so this is the best I can do really.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/pv7c2680r2h36ki/Explosion.png

^ Note explosion not pink and no more Magenta walls

^ Revised Yavin Command Display now looks more illuminated in the sink hole applied same settings more or less as the rest of the command center shots

@Sougouk Yes it is exactly meant to be different. I have tried very hard to try and bring the jump suits as the measure to bring the Hue’s for the cockpits as close to being the same. I can’t tell you if it is exactly the same. Because you have different light conditions so it will never be 100% accurate.

This is where the Before and after screenshots have screwed things up. Look at all the after shots and tell me if the pilots Jumpsuits are the same color approximately. that was the intention not what it look like in any version because it’s a total mess of pink red and orange and even borderline yellow Jumpsuits.

@Ronster, Yeah, the orange on the pilots’ jumpsuits are almost all identical. The screenshot of the Pilot after the Porkins screenshot looks slightly brighter.
I guess, it also depends on everyone’s monitors/TVs, videocard colour settings and calibrations. Heck, even I notice some colour variance from my multi screens when working with Photoshop or checking images.
Regardless, your work is amazing. Keep up the great work!

There is still some blue to get rid of in that shot so I’ll go back to that one. He was pretty pink before.

This one also very extreme correction.

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Thanks for the kind words.

No problem Ronster. All you guys doing restorations, fan edits, special projects, etc. have a lot of talent!

I try man I try… Long way to go for me.

Ok Here is the Death Star Control Room and Targeting Computers

Y-wing

X-wing

Red Leaders targeting is a bit different I think it has a value issue at the top end as the buttons are appearing a bit pink so this is Lukes Computer for reference I want Red Leaders to be the exact same.

Ahhhh My internet is on the blink and now windows just crashed I prepared a post and I lost it so I’ll try again.

Ady I have used revisited as a source I am not trying to hide anything please do not feel I am trying to jump on the back of your great work and claim any sort of reward. It might look that way but it’s not. With color correction you have to put a number in or slide a bar but the real nuts and bolts of color correction are in ones brain.

Those cockpit shots yeah some have had very little some have had quite a lot it matters not which version of the film you watch they all have this annoying hue fluctuation on the cockpit shots including your version. That of course is of no detriment to you because you still made it look a hell of a lot better.

The focus is on the Hue alteration not your color grading but I agree by and large with your color grading if that makes sense. But I have had to do a lot of color correction across the whole 15 minutes or what ever it is. A lot of contrast Value and Hue balancing.

Yes the beginning shot was from revisited I assumed it was the same as the special edition either way both the special edition and your version have way too much green on that take off shot.

Basically in 3 weeks I have color corrected over 200 shots and split the whole battle individual I deliberately tried to avoid this situation and I can remove those images of the cockpits if you want?

It’s more an illustration of the hue alteration than your color grading. Not my work hands up but I have done a lot of work.

I have tried to focus more on specific discoveries rather than trying to claim on the back of your work or anyone elses work. I am talking about trying to get it right and find out what this film is really meant to look like…

Does that make for an acceptable response.

I will share it with you when it’s finished and For your eyes only… Fair? I have done a lot more than just color correction.

The whole Value and Saturation issue stems from Special Edition Shot inserted in original film shot and trying to strike the correct balance in Hue contrast and saturation which is a total muddle.

as you can see these need to align and need more work. The firs 2 images probably need color bleed? but you see what the purpose is. I think this explains the purpose quite clearly.

Also my editor does not have a red Hue alteration only Hue alteration so when I alter the hue I have to correct for the alteration. No Red Hue setting in the editor so It’s more work than you think. I think Selective correction just screws things up more often than not it best to avoid that route 99% of the time so I guess it does have the function but I have not used it in any of these.

adywan said:

Ronster, please do not take credit for someone else’s colour grading. You are using images taken from Revisited (all the cockpit shots above)and not once in here have you mentioned that this is what you are doing or using as a source. The most you have done is altered the red hue slightly and made them look very desaturated. so saying that you are doing the colour correction and then comparing them to the blu-rays, is not exactly true. I aslo have a feeling that the ships leaving Yavin shot in your first post is also the revisited version

To be fair to Ronster, LFL stole a bunch of ideas from him, so…

Well, this is a big community, where one of the common goals is to preserve the Original Trilogy. Everyone whose contributed to this cause, have used many sources. These sources all lead up to the Original movies, which were created by George Lucas & the entire team involved. Without them, we’d have nothing to talk about.

However, if George Lucas never made any changes, then we’d have nothing to do, except discuss our love for the Original Trilogy, and, to a lesser extent, the Prequel Trilogy.

Stolen like a true artist…

I hope you understand that difference and after all this is a forum it’s a collective and as I already said I am not taking any credit for anyone else’s work and I am also giving a lot back or at least I am trying to be as helpful as possible to anyone who might be interested. There is a big difference there and never once have I sought to jump on the back of someone else and claim credit for it.

basically I said it was going to be a series of posts I don’t have much more to offer on this part of the film or any other. I have covered all the discoveries thus far I have made If I suddenly make a very unusual discovery or something out of the ordinary I’ll add it. I don’t want to tackle the whole film. I just wanted to look at this part because it’s a nightmare.

I’ll leave you with what I am coming to roughly and conclusively as what I think it should look like… That does not mean I am right and It does not mean I am wrong. It does not mean anyone else is right or wrong. I am offering you my reference and my thoughts. I am giving to you all not stealing from anyone.