Color matching and prediction: color correction tool v1.3 released! — Page 14

That looks really nice, Harmy.

I've got to say, my favorite screenshots in this thread are the ones of the Blu Ray corrected to match the GOUT. Probably because I'm a 90s kid. I'm tempted to try to make a version of the DE with those colors for my own personal use, but I don't know that I have the energy (or computing power). If that sounds worthwhile to someone else with more initiative, it's something I'd like to see.

Harmy's edit looks great. I believe it is very similar to the colors from post 283 of this thread, which IMHO look spot on.

dlvh

DrDre said:

And here are the other two frames.

Bluray:

Bluray matched to Senator screening:

Bluray:

Bluray matched to Senator screening:

I will update the video sample, based on this color correction model.

Now I know you're going batty. Your best one is post 283.

-G

g-force said:

 

Now I know you're going batty. Your best one is post 283.

-G

 Heh, I don't know if I'd go that far, but it looks kind of back to square one to me as far as being green and blown out. 

And poita of course makes some great points. It's ambitious to try to approach the film colorization with an objectively correct goal in mind. But if that's actually impossible, attempts are going to need a personal touch. I think Mike Verta has said similarly, and has certainly made judgement calls in his own restoration.

As fun as it is to discuss these things, I must admit I'll have a relatively large margin of what is acceptable color-wise. It will be great to have any and all projects that simply don't look 'screwed up' the way the film has since 2004. In truth, if Disney actually put out an OOT that had the approximate color of the 1997 film, I would be thrilled. Of course, I would also want to see what the people here end up doing with it next. :)

poita said:

TServo2049 said:

Weird, I always thought those pictures looked greenish too, but if you think they don't...

I know the Senator print had color differences from the IB print(s) the reference stills come from - the shots in the light saber duel of Ben and Vader in front of the big doorway looking out toward the Falcon had an overpowering blue tint, but there is a picture of the same scene from the Senator and the colors looked more "normal".

 This is most likely due to the automatic white balance on the camera taking the photos of the screen.

Sorry, my post was poorly worded. I said that at least one of the IB Tech prints had the shots with a blue tint (the one from which Harmy's reference stills came), but the print shown at the Senator DIDN'T have those shots with a blue tint (if the photos are any indication, inaccurate as they may be).

CatBus said:

Depends on the goal at this point.  If it's to match the Senator, it's still a touch too green to my eyes.

But if it's to try to counteract some of the known color bias in the Technicolor prints, then it could be made even less green (you can still leave it with a touch of mint).  IMO for similar reasons you could restrain the clipping a bit more too, but I know that's my particular peeve.

 The reason it looks more green, is because I reduced the luminosity to reduce the blownout colors, but since it is based on an exact match to the Senator, the colors should be accurate.

Harmy said:

DrDre said:

Bluray:

Bluray matched to Senator screening:

I will update the video sample, based on this color correction model.

 Here's a quick adjustment of the BD image I did in PS:

I'm now convinced both the Senetor pictures and the IB scans I used were pretty green shifted and this is probably the way I'd go if I did another version.

 Since most seem to prefer the grading of post 283, I will use that grading for the video sample.

I will also prepare a video sample using Harmy's grading. Here's what frame 8228 looks like with this grading:

poita said:  6) Every print, and every screening would have looked different...

...grading Star Wars now is really down to the individual.

I completely agree with this and with everything that you wrote in post #333, poita.  It's what I've believed for some time.

1) The IB Techs are all too green, Senator print included.

Even though this is true, I still absolutely love the way all the green makes Star Wars look.  It feels right to me somehow, and I don't want my go-to version to look any other way.

Let's hope that this new tool will lead to more people's finding a release that pleases them in terms of color.

I adjusted the grading that I'll be using for the video slightly. Here's the result:

338 makes me feel like I'm seeing projected in a theater, 340 not so much. I understand this is probably to minimize clipping, but 340 feels too neutral to me in terms of dynamic range, and is starting to remind me of the GOUT.

But if you and everyone else like 340 more, whatever. (Maybe it will look better in MPC at 0-255...)

TServo2049 said:

338 makes me feel like I'm seeing projected in a theater, 340 not so much. I understand this is probably to minimize clipping, but 340 feels too neutral to me in terms of dynamic range, and is starting to remind me of the GOUT.

But if you and everyone else like 340 more, whatever. (Maybe it will look better in MPC at 0-255...)

 Harmy's regrade made me realize that the increased saturation leads to a lot of color artifacts, where his and my own new regrade hardly have any.

Finally got a chance to look at these on my calibrated Plasma TV. I see what you mean about the color artifacts.

Just to throw another wrench into the works, on that display I preferred Harmy's grading (the last pic in post 338). At least in terms of luma, his was hands down the best. I did slightly prefer your colors in the last one however, Dre!

-G

g-force said:

Finally got a chance to look at these on my calibrated Plasma TV. I see what you mean about the color artifacts.

Just to throw another wrench into the works, on that display I preferred Harmy's grading (the last pic in post 338). At least in terms of luma, his was hands down the best. I did slightly prefer your colors in the last one however, Dre!

-G

 I think this is the one for me. I boosted the contrast slightly, without introducing the color artifacts:

I let myself be guided by this reference:

Just to throw a monkey wrench into all of this, I have personally noticed in the past that tinypic changes the color of images posted there.  I know this because I was using it when posting screenshots from my 35mm trailer project and the color was off after uploading.  I don't know if they fixed this issue, but I don't trust tinypic to be represenative of the colors that were uploaded.

With that being said, the latest DrDre picture doesn't have white storm troopers.  I think I like the Harmy regrade the best at the bottom of post 338 or the DrDre one right above it.

That's a relief!