Fixing Overexposure In Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) Footage

Archival Restoration Part 4: ‘Planes of exposure’, Face Refinement, blown-out skies, with tips and tricks

Overexposure can present a unique challenge when working with standard dynamic range footage, particularly with archived masters. This Insight offers multiple approaches to addressing overexposed regions of the image, from simple layering techniques to beauty work and sky correction.

The challenge of limited dynamic range in archival footage

One of the main benefits of working with log-encoded media and high dynamic range formats is the extended detail retained in bright areas. When working with older video formats, the video signal is usually in the standard dynamic range, meaning any highlights flattened at the top of the waveform trace are irrevocably clipped.

This type of SDR clipping will present as a pool of white pixels with no extractable detail. In such cases, you can use various simple (and advanced) techniques to create the illusion that the highlights are well-preserved.