Video Light Correction Specialist Needed
Budget: $199 – $200 USD
I need a lighting expert. I have a movie scene that was shot with inadequate light, which resulted in a potent light source on the left from the window but deep black shadow on the right. This has already been improved, but this is what Chat GPT recommended be done from here. Please read it, and if you think you can do those things, respond. It's about 4 1/2 minutes. I am not looking to do something frame by frame because there are 24 frames per second, and that would take forever. I can spend $200 on this. Is anyone interested?
Yes — your editor did improve it quite a bit. The frame is much more usable now. Bonnie’s face, hair, arm, desk, and props are all readable, and the shot no longer feels “lost.”
But I do think more can still be done, especially because the current correction has a few side effects:
What is working now
The exposure on Bonnie is acceptable. Her profile reads clearly, and the window light gives the shot a natural motivation. The mood is quiet and serious, which fits a phone-call/study-room scene.
What still looks problematic
The image has a cold bluish-gray cast over almost everything. That may be intentional, but it makes the room feel a little lifeless.
The left window area is blown out, but that is probably not worth fighting too much. It can be allowed to stay bright since it motivates the light.
The right wall is still a big, flat gray mass. It is not as ugly as the black corner you had before, but it still draws attention because it is empty and has very little detail.
Bonnie’s face could use a little more local warmth and contrast. Not a huge change — just enough so she feels like the emotional center of the frame.
What I would ask your editor to try next
I would not brighten the whole frame more. That could make it milky. Instead, I would use selective correction:
Mask Bonnie’s face, hair, and upper body
Lift exposure slightly.
Add a little warmth.
Add a touch of midtone contrast.
Avoid making the skin look waxy or overprocessed.
Add a very subtle vignette or gradient on the right wall
Not black, just slightly darker and more shaped.
The goal is to make that wall recede instead of feeling like a big blank screen.
Reduce the blue/cyan cast a little
Especially in the skin and the desk.
The scene can stay cool, but right now it may be a bit too icy.
Protect the window
Do not try too hard to recover it.
Let it remain a bright source, but make sure it does not bleed too much into the rest of the image.
Add a little texture/contrast to the desk and background
Just enough to avoid the “lifted shadow” look.
The danger with underexposed footage is that when you raise it, the image becomes gray instead of lit.
My main note would be: don’t make it brighter overall; make it more sculpted. The shot now needs shaping more than exposure. Bonnie should be gently pulled forward, and the right side of the room should be pushed back.
Yes — your editor did improve it quite a bit. The frame is much more usable now. Bonnie’s face, hair, arm, desk, and props are all readable, and the shot no longer feels “lost.”
But I do think more can still be done, especially because the current correction has a few side effects:
What is working now
The exposure on Bonnie is acceptable. Her profile reads clearly, and the window light gives the shot a natural motivation. The mood is quiet and serious, which fits a phone-call/study-room scene.
What still looks problematic
The image has a cold bluish-gray cast over almost everything. That may be intentional, but it makes the room feel a little lifeless.
The left window area is blown out, but that is probably not worth fighting too much. It can be allowed to stay bright since it motivates the light.
The right wall is still a big, flat gray mass. It is not as ugly as the black corner you had before, but it still draws attention because it is empty and has very little detail.
Bonnie’s face could use a little more local warmth and contrast. Not a huge change — just enough so she feels like the emotional center of the frame.
What I would ask your editor to try next
I would not brighten the whole frame more. That could make it milky. Instead, I would use selective correction:
Mask Bonnie’s face, hair, and upper body
Lift exposure slightly.
Add a little warmth.
Add a touch of midtone contrast.
Avoid making the skin look waxy or overprocessed.
Add a very subtle vignette or gradient on the right wall
Not black, just slightly darker and more shaped.
The goal is to make that wall recede instead of feeling like a big blank screen.
Reduce the blue/cyan cast a little
Especially in the skin and the desk.
The scene can stay cool, but right now it may be a bit too icy.
Protect the window
Do not try too hard to recover it.
Let it remain a bright source, but make sure it does not bleed too much into the rest of the image.
Add a little texture/contrast to the desk and background
Just enough to avoid the “lifted shadow” look.
The danger with underexposed footage is that when you raise it, the image becomes gray instead of lit.
My main note would be: don’t make it brighter overall; make it more sculpted. The shot now needs shaping more than exposure. Bonnie should be gently pulled forward, and the right side of the room should be pushed back.