Fixing Overexposure In Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) Footage

October 3, 2024

Learn to restore overexposed standard dynamic range footage, using exposure planes & the face refinement ResolveFX - with tips and tricks.


Series

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.

Key takeaways from this Insight

By the end of this Insight, you should understand how to:

  • ‘Layer’ highlights by grading over-exposed areas separately
  • Control the Face Tracker in Resolve 19’s updated Face Refinement plugin
  • Use Face Refinement’s ‘Shine Removal’ parameter to fix skin highlights
  • Maneuver the Color Warper to address high-luminance areas on skin
  • Push realistic color into skies by first reducing the gain
  • HDR Zone Palette Insights Category – Mixing Light Insights with a strong focus on using the HDR Zone Palette are listed on this page, including
  • HDR Zone Palette 101 Series – A series on learning to master Resolve’s HDR Color Wheels/Zone Palette
  • Color Warper 101 Seris – An extensive series on using the Color Warper from Contributors Peder Morgenthaler, Patrick Inhofer, Jamie Dickinson, and Luke Ross.
  • Color Warper Insights Category – Mixing Light Insights with a strong focus on using the Color Warper in a variety of different workflows and approaches.

Questions or Comments? Leave a comment!

How are you enjoying this Restoring Archival Footage series? Have I inspired some new questions for you? Let me know in the comments!

– Daria


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