Optimized Levels

Optimized Levels

What constitutes an “optimized” clip? What makes a color
corrected image correct? Let’s look at what is typically
“wrong” with source footage levels and the usual methods
for correcting them, laying the groundwork for color
matching. As an example, we’ll balance brightness and contrast
of a plate image, with no foreground layers to match.

Levels

Levels may be the most-used tool in After Effects, and yet
it’s rare to fi nd detailed descriptions of how best to use it.
It consists of fi ve basic controls—Input Black, Input White,
Output Black, Output White, and Gamma—each of which
can be adjusted in fi ve separate contexts (the four individual
image channels R, G, B, and A, as well as all three color
channels, RGB, at once). There are two different ways to
adjust these controls: via their numerical sliders or by dragging
their respective carat sliders on the histogram. The
latter is the more typical method for experienced users.