camera settings with no color grading

am working on my youtube channel but having tremendous difficulty figuring out the best camera settings for my Lumix, i want to get a good and appealing result when talking to my camera like this guy for example in his studio:

i dont want to color grade every single video, minimum small touches should be fine, but mainly i want a decent looking video straight out of the camera !

also am making product reviews and would like somewhat to match the quality here:

i can accommodate the lighting but but i dont have time to grade every single video,

how to go about getting a clean appealing result out of the camera mostly in studio/low light condition, i hope someone can point to me few things coz am lost here...

I know nothing about the Lumix, so I can't help you there, but to get the best in-camera results, with minimal post adjustments:

1. Always set the camera's white balance before recording. especially If there is any natural light in your scene. Fixing white balance in post can be a real PITA.

2. Make sure your exposure is set correctly so that you have no undesired clipped highlights or shadows. A color checker chart or a Spyder cube is super useful. Don't trust your eyeballs. Zebras aren't always useful here. If you don't have a field monitor with scopes and you have control over your lighting so that every time you shoot, your subject will have the same lighting, do a one-time calibration of your camera settings and lighting using scopes in your NLE.

3. Color calibrate your computer screen.

jojonono said:

am working on my youtube channel but having tremendous difficulty figuring out the best camera settings for my Lumix...

Click to expand...

Exactly which Lumix camera are you using??? Also, which lens are you using?

Do you have a link to YOUR videos where you DIDN'T like the result??? Maybe we can help you figure out what is going wrong.

And also what is your lighting setup??? You will want to avoid using lights where there temperature and tint mismatch. Also, some cheap modifiers like soft boxes can add a nasty color cast / tint cast.

jojonono said:

i want to get a good and appealing result when talking to my camera like this guy for example in his studio:

Click to expand...

You realize you linked to a video where the guy is talking about how he often GRADES his footage, right???

jojonono said:

i dont want to color grade every single video, minimum small touches should be fine, but mainly i want a decent looking video straight out of the camera !

Click to expand...

Then you MUST get your lighting, exposure, and your white balance perfect IN CAMERA. Learn to use Zebras and histogram. It might even make sense to get a small 5 inch monitor with false color to ensure exposure is good (you can get one for around $200 or less nowadays). If you are filming yourself, having a small monitor is going to be a BIG help.

jojonono said:

also am making product reviews and would like somewhat to match the quality here:

Click to expand...

That example is of a small area that is pretty brightly lit. The host doesn't appear on camera. That should be easy to replicate with halfway decent lighting.

jojonono said:

i can accommodate the lighting but but i dont have time to grade every single video,

Click to expand...

What video editing program (NLE) are you using? Dropping a corrective LUT on footage can take a whole 5 seconds (assuming you get lighting, exposure, and white balance correct in camera).

In the editing program I use (Resolve), I can take one long video clip, do the grade on that single clip, and then afterwards edit it. That way I only have to grade once.

But if instead I cut the clip first in to little bits, then try to grade, I will have to grade EVERY new individual clip.

jojonono said:

how to go about getting a clean appealing result out of the camera mostly in studio/low light condition, i hope someone can point to me few things coz am lost here...

Click to expand...

The old adage is "garbage in, garbage out." So the better you set up the lighting in your studio and the better you are able to adjust it IN CAMERA will result in the least amount of time in post having to adjust / grade your footage.

Depending on which camera you use, you might try comparing the Standard, neutral, 709 Like, and Cine D profiles and see which one gets you closest to what you want. Often people will reduce the in-camera contrast and sharpness a bit. But if you want to do NO grading you might not find that helpful, since most people are going to do at least SOME grading.

Also, just to build on what Tavarino said above:

jojonono said:

1. Always set the camera's white balance before recording. especially If there is any natural light in your scene. Fixing white balance in post can be a real PITA.

Click to expand...

yes, and be sure to turn OFF any form of auto white balance as the camera might change the white balance on a whim and then you will have to do MORE work grading your footage.

jojonono said:

2. Make sure your exposure is set correctly so that you have no undesired clipped highlights or shadows.

Click to expand...

Yes to this, too, and make sure to turn OFF any sort of Auto exposure. Best to use manual exposure.

jojonono said:

A color checker chart or a Spyder cube is super useful. Don't trust your eyeballs. Zebras aren't always useful here. If you don't have a field monitor with scopes and you have control over your lighting so that every time you shoot, your subject will have the same lighting, do a one-time calibration of your camera settings and lighting using scopes in your NLE.

Click to expand...

Another excellent suggestion.

It's all about lighting. Every light source has a CRI rating, which indicates how accurate color reproduction will be. Cheap LED lights have a lower CRI rating, which = weak color.

In the first video - picture profiles - it looks like diffused lighting. There are no harsh shadows. You'd be using soft boxes or skrims or bounced lighting off of a wall or ceiling.

In the second video, you can see the shadow under the laptop, which would indicate overhead lighting. I wasn't impressed with the lighting in that video. I suspect it may have been shot in an office with overhead lighting and no auxiliary light sources.

Once you get your lighting sorted out, do a test shoot using different picture profiles. Some recommend the "natural" picture profile, with contrast dialed back a bit. This gives you a bit of leeway for making adjustments in post. However, in a situation with flat lighting - for example, open shadows outdoors - the Vivid picture profile will give you more vivid color, but it'll be harder to make adjustments in post because the color intensity is baked into the video.

With Lumix cameras, you want to use manual focus. If you need more depth of field, use brighter lighting so you can stop down your lens higher than the F/3.5 your kit lens will default to in poor lighting. Some say the sweet spot for depth of field is F/8, but it depends on the lens.

Off The Mark said:

Off The Mark said:

am working on my youtube channel but having tremendous difficulty figuring out the best camera settings for my Lumix...

Click to expand...

Exactly which Lumix camera are you using??? Also, which lens are you using?

Do you have a link to YOUR videos where you DIDN'T like the result??? Maybe we can help you figure out what is going wrong.

Click to expand...

This was my first video, it was shot with both my camera, and some parts was taken with my Note 10+ using Filmic Pro, the only shoot i was happy about is the one at 14:00, for that i used a built-in camera filter (Low Key) I believe it crushes the darks, so the image kinda looked Ok I guess !...

Off The Mark said:

And also what is your lighting setup??? You will want to avoid using lights where there temperature and tint mismatch. Also, some cheap modifiers like soft boxes can add a nasty color cast / tint cast.

Click to expand...

I only had one small Momen LED Video Light, i think it produces around 1000 Lumens (4000 Lux @ 0.3m), i got an umbrella today for 7 Bucks from amazon but that was about it ! I mostly shoot in the day light next to the window to take advantage of the sun light and avoided shooting at night, i live in a small apartment ATM and getting those huge soft boxes is a No No for me !...

Off The Mark said:

Off The Mark said:

i want to get a good and appealing result when talking to my camera like this guy for example in his studio:

Click to expand...

You realize you linked to a video where the guy is talking about how he often GRADES his footage, right???

Click to expand...

Ya but half of youtube videos are pure crap, not really informative, i spent 3 days watching many of them believe me !... that guys only talks about difference between profiles, repetitive stuff mainly uploaded to get monetized !... he doesnt get to how he graded his footage !... especially Indoor footage !...

Off The Mark said:

Off The Mark said:

i dont want to color grade every single video, minimum small touches should be fine, but mainly i want a decent looking video straight out of the camera !

Click to expand...

Then you MUST get your lighting, exposure, and your white balance perfect IN CAMERA. Learn to use Zebras and histogram. It might even make sense to get a small 5 inch monitor with false color to ensure exposure is good (you can get one for around $200 or less nowadays). If you are filming yourself, having a small monitor is going to be a BIG help.

Click to expand...

can you share some tutorials how to get the lighting and exposure right ? am familiar with WB, and do you think getting 2 of these (+ my Moman LED Light) will help to light up my studio ?

Off The Mark said:

Off The Mark said:

also am making product reviews and would like somewhat to match the quality here:

Click to expand...

That example is of a small area that is pretty brightly lit. The host doesn't appear on camera. That should be easy to replicate with halfway decent lighting.

Click to expand...

Can this look be achieved with built in camera profiles ? or is it color graded ?...

Off The Mark said:

Off The Mark said:

i can accommodate the lighting but but i dont have time to grade every single video,

Click to expand...

What video editing program (NLE) are you using? Dropping a corrective LUT on footage can take a whole 5 seconds (assuming you get lighting, exposure, and white balance correct in camera).

In the editing program I use (Resolve), I can take one long video clip, do the grade on that single clip, and then afterwards edit it. That way I only have to grade once.

But if instead I cut the clip first in to little bits, then try to grade, I will have to grade EVERY new individual clip.

Click to expand...

Once i find the right LUT first !..

Off The Mark said:

Off The Mark said:

how to go about getting a clean appealing result out of the camera mostly in studio/low light condition, i hope someone can point to me few things coz am lost here...

Click to expand...

The old adage is "garbage in, garbage out." So the better you set up the lighting in your studio and the better you are able to adjust it IN CAMERA will result in the least amount of time in post having to adjust / grade your footage.

Depending on which camera you use, you might try comparing the Standard, neutral, 709 Like, and Cine D profiles and see which one gets you closest to what you want. Often people will reduce the in-camera contrast and sharpness a bit. But if you want to do NO grading you might not find that helpful, since most people are going to do at least SOME grading.

Click to expand...

uncle dunc said:

It's all about lighting. Every light source has a CRI rating, which indicates how accurate color reproduction will be. Cheap LED lights have a lower CRI rating, which = weak color.

In the first video - picture profiles - it looks like diffused lighting. There are no harsh shadows. You'd be using soft boxes or skrims or bounced lighting off of a wall or ceiling.

In the second video, you can see the shadow under the laptop, which would indicate overhead lighting. I wasn't impressed with the lighting in that video. I suspect it may have been shot in an office with overhead lighting and no auxiliary light sources.

Once you get your lighting sorted out, do a test shoot using different picture profiles. Some recommend the "natural" picture profile, with contrast dialed back a bit. This gives you a bit of leeway for making adjustments in post. However, in a situation with flat lighting - for example, open shadows outdoors - the Vivid picture profile will give you more vivid color, but it'll be harder to make adjustments in post because the color intensity is baked into the video.

With Lumix cameras, you want to use manual focus. If you need more depth of field, use brighter lighting so you can stop down your lens higher than the F/3.5 your kit lens will default to in poor lighting. Some say the sweet spot for depth of field is F/8, but it depends on the lens.

Click to expand...

thanks for your reply,

do you think i can get away using two of these in a studio setup ?


besides my Momen LED Light...

once my studio is well light, will i get away with any of the camera built-in picture profiles or is grading a must ?

btw, am using an FZ2500 as well, how do you do with that camera to achieve decent looks like the videos above ?...

thanks,

TL;DNR Version: In short, I think you should forget about grading and instead concentrate on improving your lighting, your audio, and background music.

Long Version:

First, I wish you luck with your channel.

After reading your reply and watching the video you linked to on the MSI GS75 Stealth 2020 Model, I have these suggestions and requests:

1) I think you should (for now) stop worrying about grading / luts / filters and instead concentrate on lighting. You are getting a lot of mixed lighting (windows light, that is blue, and tungsten lights, that are orange, and your LED light), I would personally get a lot more light that is set to daylight (not bi-color because they are half as bright) and turn OFF as many tungsten or fluorescent lights as you can.

You mentioned you don't have room for soft boxes. I understand. Can you use umbrellas?

Another option is to one of the 5 in 1 reflectors with a white scrim and use your strobe lights to shoot through it.

Something like this:


There are MANY videos out there on how to properly light for an interview, or how to properly light for a zoom call. Those would be a good way to start.

2) We still need to know WHICH model of lumix camera you are using and which lens.

2A) Which software are you using to edit your videos?

3) Buy a gray card and learn to use it property. make sure the white balance on your camera is set properly to the gray card

4) your audio seems very quiet and there is not much high end. I think you should look at a) improving microphone placement, and b) recording at the right levels. What are you using to record your audio?

5) Consider using some low-volume background music. If you go to www.soundimage.org you can find plenty of royalty-free music that just requires acknowledgement in the description of your video or in the ending credits of your video (but a donation is always appreciated).

6) Maybe consider having the title of your video in Arabic if possible instead of English since your entire video is in Arabic? Or at the beginning of the title write something that denotes it is in Arabic? Because youtube will probably punish you with ranking your video lower if people click on your video expecting it to be in English, and then click away after watching for a few seconds...

I mean, if someone posted a video on something that interested you with a title in Arabic, and then the whole video was in Japanese, you might be confused / upset, right?

7) You mentioned something about spending three days searching for grading tutorials. There are a TONS of tutorials out there on how to grade. But as I mentioned before, you should probably forget about grading for now and concentrate on lighting, white balance, and getting the shot right in camera.

8) You mentioned that you like the part of your video at the 14:00 mark. If that is what you like, it should be easy to find a free LUT that does something like that. It just seems to be increasing the contrast and saturation, particularly of the reds. And yes, it seems to be crushing the blacks.

9) what are you using for the close up shots where you are panning across the computer or doing a slider shot? If you plan on doing more of those, a motorized slighter with a motorized pan / parallax head would be good.

Hope this helps.

jojonono said:

once my studio is well light, will i get away with any of the camera built-in picture profiles or is grading a must ?

btw, am using an FZ2500 as well, how do you do with that camera to achieve decent looks like the videos above ?...

thanks,

Click to expand...

Try the "natural" profile, and the "standard" profile. If you find yourself wanting to adjust contrast during editing, go back and adjust the contrast settings in camera. If you find yourself increasing saturation, try the "vivid" profile. If your lighting is good, you should need no color correction during editing. The key is experimentation. That's how we learn our gear.

If you don't have room for soft boxes, perhaps you could bounce light off the walls or ceiling. You'd need brighter lights for that. I've used regular clamp lights like you get at a hardware store (work light) with screw-in PAR bulbs. You can get 250 watt LED daylight PAR bulbs much cheaper than LED video lights, but you'd want flood lights, not spot lights, and you'd want to make sure they have a hight CRI rating.

If you were to use cheap LED video lights aimed directly at the subject, you'd get harsh shadows. Another thing to watch out for with cheap LED video lights is overheating. I have a pair that cannot run at 100% power for more than 5 or 10 minutes before they shut down due to over heating.

Off The Mark said:

TL;DNR Version: In short, I think you should forget about grading and instead concentrate on improving your lighting, your audio, and background music.

Long Version:

First, I wish you luck with your channel.

Click to expand...

thanks a lot truly appreciated...

Off The Mark said:

After reading your reply and watching the video you linked to on the MSI GS75 Stealth 2020 Model, I have these suggestions and requests:

1) I think you should (for now) stop worrying about grading / luts / filters and instead concentrate on lighting. You are getting a lot of mixed lighting (windows light, that is blue, and tungsten lights, that are orange, and your LED light), I would personally get a lot more light that is set to daylight (not bi-color because they are half as bright) and turn OFF as many tungsten or fluorescent lights as you can.

Click to expand...

i think ur right, but can i incorporate light from the window and secondary lights ? how to go about this hybrid setup ?!...

Also would u recommend this ?

or this?

or just go with this cheap stuff to give it a try ?

Off The Mark said:

You mentioned you don't have room for soft boxes. I understand. Can you use umbrellas?

Click to expand...

I bought an umbrella, not sure if i said that, i used it with my moman SUPER BRIGHT led light, it significantly decreased the brightness and i dont think it will go a good job on video !...

i barely got any room for permanent lighting ATM, but i can buy something just to experiment and then pack it away like this ?!...

Off The Mark said:

Another option is to one of the 5 in 1 reflectors with a white scrim and use your strobe lights to shoot through it.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.ae/150x200cm-Tra...ewer+5+in+one+reflector&qid=1605887296&sr=8-2

There are MANY videos out there on how to properly light for an interview, or how to properly light for a zoom call. Those would be a good way to start.

2) We still need to know WHICH model of lumix camera you are using and which lens.

Click to expand...

There goes nothing, FZ2500, the reason i didnt mention it because am getting a lot of criticism on this forum saying its a 1" sensor and wont do good, while on youtube you will see people achieving excellent looks with their S6 from Samsung with waaaay smaller sensor !!...

Off The Mark said:

2A) Which software are you using to edit your videos?

Click to expand...

Premiere Pro...

Off The Mark said:

3) Buy a gray card and learn to use it property. make sure the white balance on your camera is set properly to the gray card

Click to expand...

Am using a white paper to fix my white balance, will that do better than a grey card ?!...

Off The Mark said:

4) your audio seems very quiet and there is not much high end. I think you should look at a) improving microphone placement, and b) recording at the right levels. What are you using to record your audio?

Click to expand...

that was recorded with my normal phone lol, i got a rode mic i will use in future videos, i was just Not feeling like it, postponing the creation of this video review for 3 months !...

Off The Mark said:

5) Consider using some low-volume background music. If you go to www.soundimage.org you can find plenty of royalty-free music that just requires acknowledgement in the description of your video or in the ending credits of your video (but a donation is always appreciated).

Click to expand...

Good idea, will keep that in mind once i have future product reviews...

Off The Mark said:

6) Maybe consider having the title of your video in Arabic if possible instead of English since your entire video is in Arabic? Or at the beginning of the title write something that denotes it is in Arabic? Because youtube will probably punish you with ranking your video lower if people click on your video expecting it to be in English, and then click away after watching for a few seconds...

Click to expand...

that too, i just uploaded that video and didnt care about every single aspect, as u can see just 2 comments, not a lot of interaction there, but i just did what u said... it usually pi**es me off when i find an english title and the video is in an Alien language! totally understand what u mean...

Off The Mark said:

I mean, if someone posted a video on something that interested you with a title in Arabic, and then the whole video was in Japanese, you might be confused / upset, right?

7) You mentioned something about spending three days searching for grading tutorials. There are a TONS of tutorials out there on how to grade. But as I mentioned before, you should probably forget about grading for now and concentrate on lighting, white balance, and getting the shot right in camera.

8) You mentioned that you like the part of your video at the 14:00 mark. If that is what you like, it should be easy to find a free LUT that does something like that. It just seems to be increasing the contrast and saturation, particularly of the reds. And yes, it seems to be crushing the blacks.

Click to expand...

I achieved this with built in camera filter called Low Key, and yes the saturation is a bit high !... but i want to create some Brighter Video reviews, so need to get me some good lights i guess...

Off The Mark said:

9) what are you using for the close up shots where you are panning across the computer or doing a slider shot? If you plan on doing more of those, a motorized slighter with a motorized pan / parallax head would be good.

Click to expand...

lol that's a weird invention did, those shots mostly taken with my phone and Filmic Pro, i have Zhyiun Smooth 4 Gimbal, it was mounted on top of a CHEAPER tripod not really capable of really smooth B-Rolls, having the Gimbal Fixed on top of the 40$ Tripod did the trick and i a decent B-Rolls !...

was that your request mentioned at the beginning ??....

Off The Mark said:

Hope this helps.

Click to expand...

Yes, you can mix window light with daylight-balanced LED lights.

The FZ2500 should be fine but you will need a lot of light to avoid noise in the shadows. No, it's not a camera for making Hollywood Block Busters, but for making youtube videos it is perfectly fine.

As for lighting, I really don't know how bright those lights you have are. I think most budget youtubers would use two or more of the Godox SL-60 lights

A white piece of paper is not optimum. White paper tends to be a little bit yellowish in color. You can use it but you might have to tweak your white balance a bit.

Also, speaking of white balance, just so you know, avoid using "auto" settings like auto white balance and auto exposure and auto ISO. You will want to set those manually so they don't change unexpectedly.

You should experiment with shooting in the Standard and the natural profiles first. Personally, on most cameras, I like to turn DOWN the contrast, saturation and sharpness a bit if I am using those styles.

As you get more comfortable, you should try Cine D profile. I am sure there MUST be free LUTs out there for shooting in Cine D.

Off The Mark said:

Off The Mark said:

i can accommodate the lighting but but i dont have time to grade every single video,

Click to expand...

In the editing program I use (Resolve), I can take one long video clip, do the grade on that single clip, and then afterwards edit it. That way I only have to grade once.

But if instead I cut the clip first in to little bits, then try to grade, I will have to grade EVERY new individual clip.

Click to expand...

In Resolve, you can select "Grade Groups" and create a group for each camera's clips, that way you don't have grade each clip individually; however, you can copy a grade from one clip and apply it to a different one using the mouse middle click, or just make an adjustment clip and copy & paste it on top of shots that need to be graded.

In my opinion, if you shoot in Rec.709 and nail your exposure & white balance, you won't really need to grade, aside from maybe a mid-tone saturation boost and selective contrast adjustment.

I think the "Standard" profile tends to be pretty close to Rec.709, at least on Nikon, Canon, and Sony.

Since the location and light are constant, the OP could save the grade as a "Power Grade" in Resolve and reuse it for every editing session.

Regarding gray cards for white balance, the OP could use a neutral white card, but it's easy to slightly clip one color channel when shooting in a contrasty profile like Rec.709 and skew the measurement, so it's safer to white balance off a neutral gray card.

Andrew S10 said:

In my opinion, if you shoot in Rec.709 and nail your exposure & white balance, you won't really need to grade, aside from maybe a mid-tone saturation boost and selective contrast adjustment.

Click to expand...

^^This.

Off The Mark said:

Yes, you can mix window light with daylight-balanced LED lights.

The FZ2500 should be fine but you will need a lot of light to avoid noise in the shadows. No, it's not a camera for making Hollywood Block Busters, but for making youtube videos it is perfectly fine.

As for lighting, I really don't know how bright those lights you have are. I think most budget youtubers would use two or more of the Godox SL-60 lights

A white piece of paper is not optimum. White paper tends to be a little bit yellowish in color. You can use it but you might have to tweak your white balance a bit.

Also, speaking of white balance, just so you know, avoid using "auto" settings like auto white balance and auto exposure and auto ISO. You will want to set those manually so they don't change unexpectedly.

You should experiment with shooting in the Standard and the natural profiles first. Personally, on most cameras, I like to turn DOWN the contrast, saturation and sharpness a bit if I am using those styles.

As you get more comfortable, you should try Cine D profile. I am sure there MUST be free LUTs out there for shooting in Cine D.

Click to expand...

Will give it a try, as for LUTs you can give this a try:

Andrew S10 said:

Off The Mark said:

Andrew S10 said:

i can accommodate the lighting but but i dont have time to grade every single video,

Click to expand...

In the editing program I use (Resolve), I can take one long video clip, do the grade on that single clip, and then afterwards edit it. That way I only have to grade once.

But if instead I cut the clip first in to little bits, then try to grade, I will have to grade EVERY new individual clip.

Click to expand...

In Resolve, you can select "Grade Groups" and create a group for each camera's clips, that way you don't have grade each clip individually; however, you can copy a grade from one clip and apply it to a different one using the mouse middle click, or just make an adjustment clip and copy & paste it on top of shots that need to be graded.

In my opinion, if you shoot in Rec.709 and nail your exposure & white balance, you won't really need to grade, aside from maybe a mid-tone saturation boost and selective contrast adjustment.

I think the "Standard" profile tends to be pretty close to Rec.709, at least on Nikon, Canon, and Sony.

Since the location and light are constant, the OP could save the grade as a "Power Grade" in Resolve and reuse it for every editing session.

Regarding gray cards for white balance, the OP could use a neutral white card, but it's easy to slightly clip one color channel when shooting in a contrasty profile like Rec.709 and skew the measurement, so it's safer to white balance off a neutral gray card.

Click to expand...

i know i asked this over and over again, but do you think i can achieve that neat youtube studio look in the links i provided above with excellent softboxes like these and using Natural/Standard profile straight out of the camera with no grading ?

i dunno it feels like my results will crap out even with excellent lighting like those and ill end up hitting my head against the wall and maybe even sell that camera and call it a bad camera !...

Any camera can take a good picture if the lighting is good. If you're in a small room, you're still likely to get shadows using a soft box. Google "bounce lighting" on Youtube. Keep in mind, the LED PAR flood bulbs I've mentioned cost around $30, and give out 3,000 lumens of light. Add $10 for a clamp work light, which you could clamp to the back of a chair or an extra tripod. If you already have white walls, you may not need a reflector. If you could utilize window light on one side, and bounced light on the other side, and your existing light through the umbrella, you might be all set.

jojonono said:

i know i asked this over and over again, but do you think i can achieve that neat youtube studio look in the links i provided above with excellent softboxes like these and using Natural/Standard profile straight out of the camera with no grading ?
https://www.amazon.ae/gp/product/B07PC2HL9X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2DEUSTGVWDCSQ&psc=1

i dunno it feels like my results will crap out even with excellent lighting like those and ill end up hitting my head against the wall and maybe even sell that camera and call it a bad camera !...

Click to expand...

You probably can but you might have to add a large bounce board / reflector and learn HOW to position your lights in conjunction with the window light.

Often light coming in from the window can be overpowering. Which can be both good and bad. Good because it is a lot of light. Bad because it is quite direct and can cause hard shadows.

Also a lot of window light is often not just neutral daylight color. Sometimes light coming in through a window has bounced off a brightly colored wall. That can affect the light coming in the window.

jojonono said:

Andrew S10 said:

Off The Mark said:

jojonono said:

i can accommodate the lighting but but i dont have time to grade every single video,

Click to expand...

In the editing program I use (Resolve), I can take one long video clip, do the grade on that single clip, and then afterwards edit it. That way I only have to grade once.

But if instead I cut the clip first in to little bits, then try to grade, I will have to grade EVERY new individual clip.

Click to expand...

In Resolve, you can select "Grade Groups" and create a group for each camera's clips, that way you don't have grade each clip individually; however, you can copy a grade from one clip and apply it to a different one using the mouse middle click, or just make an adjustment clip and copy & paste it on top of shots that need to be graded.

In my opinion, if you shoot in Rec.709 and nail your exposure & white balance, you won't really need to grade, aside from maybe a mid-tone saturation boost and selective contrast adjustment.

I think the "Standard" profile tends to be pretty close to Rec.709, at least on Nikon, Canon, and Sony.

Since the location and light are constant, the OP could save the grade as a "Power Grade" in Resolve and reuse it for every editing session.

Regarding gray cards for white balance, the OP could use a neutral white card, but it's easy to slightly clip one color channel when shooting in a contrasty profile like Rec.709 and skew the measurement, so it's safer to white balance off a neutral gray card.

Click to expand...

i know i asked this over and over again, but do you think i can achieve that neat youtube studio look in the links i provided above with excellent softboxes like these and using Natural/Standard profile straight out of the camera with no grading ?
https://www.amazon.ae/gp/product/B07PC2HL9X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2DEUSTGVWDCSQ&psc=1

i dunno it feels like my results will crap out even with excellent lighting like those and ill end up hitting my head against the wall and maybe even sell that camera and call it a bad camera !...

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1. I don't think you need 2 big lights, one is enough. Actually mentioned Godox SL60 would be probably better than this Andoer setup. Godox is more professional and costs a bit less.

2. You seem to shoot objects like bags and computer parts. For this, you really don't need much color grading - color grading and LUTs actually can change the color of your objects too much. So there is a minimal need for LUTS in your case. Using standard color, contrast and other controls in the video editing app will give you better results.

3. The studio where you shot MSI video, seems to be too bright in general, and yet don't have light on the products. So you can change direction of light and concentrate on the product table.

4. Lumix has a bit colder color and very hard to mix with other cameras. So shoot everything in Lumix and dont' mix with other cameras. Also you darken the windows and use mostly room light.

5. For profile, you probably would be good using Flat or Neutral profile, some fixed color temperature (no AutoWB), focus light on products, darken the studio room in general, close windows. Use mild dissipated light using the Godox box. That would be my suggestion.

A lot of good advice. But a couple more things --

-- Clean up your background. Those random bits of white wall and appliances are distracting and unprofessional, plus they make it harder to get good exposure and white balance. A simple pop-up background chosen to work with the tones in your table might be enough.

A lot of your problems look to be caused by the contrast range between the whites in the background and the shadow side of the black computer.

-- Window light is very changeable, and rarely true daylight balance. If you must work with window light shoot your whole video in a short time frame, or do it in short takes at the same time over several days. If you try to do one clip at 2 o'clock and another at 5 you may find it almost impossible to grade them to match.

Pick up a couple of lights as soon as you can and get curtains to block the window light. I would recommend dimmable daylight LEDs. In a small room bouncing off walls and/or ceiling may be as good or better than trying to use umbrellas -- and softboxes are probably out of the question.

Get some white card or foam core to use for reflected fill.

As others have said, do a custom white balance at the subject position. Fine tune your exposure -- don't be afraid to bump ISO a step or two if you have to. Work for consistency. The next best thing to no grading is to have the grading consistent from clip to clip.

Experiment with the standard camera settings -- you may find one that meets your needs, or at least is close enough to minimize post work. As others have said, it may help to back off the contrast a click or two. It is easy to increase contrast in post, while it can be difficult or impossible to cut it back.

I have used a number of Lumix cameras over the years. Your FZ2500 should be fine for Youtube, but you do need to get things really right in shooting to make the best of it.

Gato

Stonejack and Gato above have both made very good suggestions.