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Post #742011

Author
Spaced Ranger
Parent topic
Idea & Info: Cinerama 70mm '2001' preservation. Is it possible?
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/742011/action/topic#742011
Date created
21-Dec-2014, 2:34 AM

Well ... mostly accurate.  :)

As laserdisc captures are analog, a good capture should maximize the spectrum or otherwise match the on-disc colorbars (if any). This clearly was not done for this cap. I had to "normalize" (stretch) the spectrum to it's full contrast range. It also looked like the colors were weak and needed strengthening. All that would be just a post-fix for a poor capture.

So the original screenshot ..

.. is a little soft due to it's compressed range. So the range is expanded using a paint program's Histogram function. Going by numbers guarantees that there will be no crush or blowout of the spectrum. The original spectrum's graph is shown in grey and the resultant correction is overlaid in red. It brings back full contract to the image:

I knew from seeing on-set color photos of this very set (sample below) that it must also need stronger color. In the Hue/Saturation/Lightness function, the Master saturation is increased. Even then, the reddish colors needed more. Fortunately, parts of the color spectrum can be boosted without affecting other parts -- RED is further boosted:

Keeping in mind that this is guesstimate-by-eye (the paint program lacks precision feedback), it's looking much better -- as the capture itself should've looked. Then is time for looking into what is lost in laserdisc translation (?) and whether further correction based on surviving sources is warranted.

Thus far, this fix is probably very close to what Kubrick approved for use in the Criterion Collection laserdisc. It's palette is certainly more in line with the on-set (over-exposed) photo than any "blue-bathed" DVD or HD release: