DATACOLOR SPYDER CHECKR VIDEO
THE BASICS OF USING A SPYDER CHECKR VIDEO
HOW NOT TO DO IT
1. Correct white-balance Mask out everything except the large grey target card, which is a standard 18% grey and neutral, ideal for white-balancing and basic exposure. Adjust exposure levels while using a waveform, ideally so the grey target area is at about 82%.
IN SHADE
LOW-SUN WHITE-BALANCE
2. Fine-tune contrast levels Mask out everything except the greyscale card, which is designed to give accurate reference points for both exposure and contrast levels. Use the large bar levels first for best results, then work with the greyscale for fine-tuning. On the three large bars, white is 95-98%, grey 50% and black 5-8%.
Similar products are linked to specific software that is used as a plug-in on your editing program, which guides you through a specific workflow. Instead of that, the Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video is compatible with standard vectorscopes and waveform displays in pro video editing applications such as DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. We tried it in Final Cut Pro, which involves making a quick mask so that just the chart is viewable, then using the vectorscope and waveforms. The pattern card creates patterns of all the colours being captured - not just primary and secondary hues. If you have a basic grasp of what you are doing, it’s easy to make adjustments to deliver natural, neutral colours that always match. For £139/$130, it’s a great product that could make a big difference to your footage and significantly speed up your workflow.
BALANCING ACT These uncorrected images above clearly show the difference between colours in changing light. Flare is easy to spot (top)
3. Adjust colours using a vectorscope Now using the colour card, mask out everything except the patches, which are all to be used in Rec. 709 space. Each colour has two patches at different saturation levels – 100% and 75%. Adjust hue and saturation levels for each so they match the red, magenta, blue, cyan, green and yellow.
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