These two examples of the same frame really show why I have issues with Mike Verta’s color choices. Both droids seem dull in the top one, but both gleam like metallic surfaces really do in bright lights in the lower one. And it doesn’t seem to be an artifact of the poor condition of of the tape as I get the same gleam when I correct to Mike’s 1 fps sample clips. Mike seems convinced that R2 should be very dark instead of letting the film tell him the color. In all the correction passes I have made on the GOUT, JSC, 97 SE broadcast, and BR, I have never gotten a dark R2 like this. The colors in the video tape are much closer to what I keep getting - a deep cobalt blue. Having been to the Star Wars Costume Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum where they had an original ANH R2 and several pieces to examine close up, the original R2 is not that dark and looks more like the lower photo (I have no idea how many Kenny Baker R2’s were made for ANH or which one was in this shot or which one is on tour with the exhibit).
I’m pretty new to this, but I agree. Shouldn’t the above shot look more like this:
This image is actually a photo Mike Verta took of a projected technicolor print with a 1970s bulb and screen. It does appear to look a bit off, compared to the actual frame, and the bootleg recording. It might be, that the 1970s bulb emitted a more yellow/orange hue due to its age, or perhaps this is another example of the color imbalances NeverarGreat discussed?