Hi, this is ManantialVE.
In this episode I’ll share with you a tip that I have been using for a while
to selectively adjust underexposed areas in a video without affecting the remaining areas.
Here is an example of a video where the subject is underexposed…
…and here is the same video with the selective adjustment.
As you can see, after the adjustment is applied, the underexposed areas have
better saturated colors and improved luminosity while the background remains mostly unchanged.
Here are a few examples where you can see the selective adjustment in action.
You could adjust underexposed or darker areas in a video
by using a dedicated LUT or by creating a new one tailored to your needs. With that said,
this method provides an alternate quick fix that is flexible and at times more precise.
Later in the tutorial I’ll show you how using this same method you can apply different color
gradings for brighter and darker areas of a video, blending them seamlessly. Here is an example.
Lastly, I’ll briefly show you how to create a Text Behind Subject effect
using the method explained in this video.
Make sure to stay to the end of the video so you don’t miss out.
We start with a LumaFusion project containing 2 identical copies of the video with underexposed
areas that we want to selectively adjust. The idea is to split the video into 2
videos based on luminosity, so the first video contains only the darker, underexposed areas
while the second video contains only the properly exposed lighter areas.
Edit the first of the 2 identical videos in the timeline.
Tap on the Colors & Effects tab, if not already selected.
Tap on the Keys section and add the Light Luma Key preset.
The Light Luma Key preset will key out the lighter areas of the video,
keeping the darker areas visible. Adjust the Luma Key levels so the
underexposed darker areas of the video that you want to adjust are included.
Use the Show Mask tool to check the results. Areas included in the mask
will be brighter while areas being keyed out will be darker.
Define the mask by adjusting the values for Roll-off, Erosion Distance and Edge Blur Radius.
Notice that it doesn’t have to be perfect. Once you are satisfied with the mask,
exit back to the timeline.
Place the video that you just edited just above the second copy of the video.
At this point the combination of the 2 videos looks as if nothing changed,
but the topmost track shows the darker underexposed areas of the video
while the video in the main track shows the remaining lighter areas.
Adjustments done to the video in the topmost track will affect the underexposed areas only
while properly exposed lighter areas will be minimally affected or not affected at all.
Edit the video containing the mask that you just moved to the topmost track
to adjust the underexposed areas.
Tap on the Colors and Effects tab if not already selected,
and under the Palette section, add the original preset.
Make sure that the Original Preset appears second in the list of effects, after Light Luma Key.
Adjust Levels, Brightness and Contrast to address the lack of exposure as shown.
Hide and show the original preset so you can see the effect of your work.
If you see that your adjustments are leaking into the brighter areas of the video,
go back and adjust the mask that you defined for the Light Luma Key.
Depending on the results, consider also adjusting Saturation and Vibrance
as well as Shadow Amount and Gamma.
Keep in mind that the result should be subtle and look natural.
Once you are satisfied with the result, exit back to the timeline.
This is how it looks now.
As you probably realize by now, using Luma Key you can split darker and lighter areas of your video
into 2 videos and color grade them separately.
For example, take a look at this video…
I wanted to give the trees and grass a reddish tint.
At the same time I wanted to accentuate the blue color of the water.
This is the mask that I used. Notice that is purposely
not perfect. This helps blend the 2 videos.
Here is the end result. Using this same method,
if you have a video and a mask that provide a good separation between subject and background
you can add a track between the 2, containing text and replicate the Text Behind Subject effect.
Take for example this video…
Here is the mask created using Luma Key that removes the background and isolates the subject…
And here is the end result where the isolated subject is in the third track,
the text is in the second track and an unchanged copy of the video is in the main track.
So this is it for this episode.
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Thank you for watching. Stay safe, and I'll see you on the next one.