Solved Using Video shot with ND filter?

I have Movie Studio 13 (platinum, not PRO). i'm trying to put three videos together of an interview.
One video (side angle) was shot with Sony Handycam on HD.
One shot (roving angles) with Sony Handycam on 4K.
The main video on a professional grade camera and the photographer used an nd filter (?).
I read it's a neutral filter. he said it's so the director/editor can create the mood desired through correction.
I'm so new to this and have got to get this interview online pretty quick, so i'm really stressing out.
i know NOTHING about color correcting (i'm assuming that's what he meant).
i've read as much as my brain could interpret on coloring, grading, curving. maybe i'm going about this incorrectly...should i be adjusting the nd video or the handycam videos?

here's what's happening...the nd video seems muted and kind of yellowish while the other videos are bright and colorful.
when i edit and use all to change the angles...the nd video just looks dull when switching back and forth.
i wanted to adjust the nd video to be more bright and colorful to match the other two, but now wondering if should i be adjusting the other two to match the nd one?
i'm thinking maybe i should be matching to the more professional video because maybe the colors shouldn't be that beautiful???
help. i'm desperate and running out of time. i tried following the tutorial on here for color correcting, but it's talking 13 PRO and i'm having a difficult time correlating that to studio platinum 13.

thanks for anywhere you can point me...seems this is all above my head, but i'm willing to learn (the time factor is what's critical). i really don't want to put out the bucks to get PRO, but if that's the only way to get this done, i will.

Hi kajunkid

I edited your message so I could read it without getting confused.
Point form is easier to read, when it is full of technical stuff :silly:

ND filters reduce the amount of light coming into the camera, so that the camera can use a lower F-stop.
This gives you the ability to have the subject in focus, but have the background look blurry.
This creates better depth of field, instead of everything being in focus together.

What you are trying to do, requires some experience and patience.

The first thing I recommend you do, is apply the White Balance filter to all the ND filter videos.
This should take the yellow look out of video.

Find one of the ND filter videos that contains something that is pure white.
You can use any white object to balance the colour.
In the Video FX tab, find White Balance and drag onto the video you selected.
Press Select White Color button in FX window and select something that is white or close to white.
Instantly you will see the video in Preview window change.
You can then use the slider until it looks "normal".



You can also add Video FX like Brightness & Contrast, Colour Correction, Colour Curves.
When you are happy with what it looks like, right-click this one video and select Copy.
Now select all the other ND filter videos and copy same FX into these videos.
To do this, select all the videos or one at a time - then right-click on top and select Paste Event Attributes
The videos should now all look the same.

I have an in-depth beginners guide tutorial on Colour Correction, which I recommend you read/watch.
www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/sony-vegas-pro/526-colour-correction-tools-sony-vegas-pro

Final thing.
Make sure to read the final part of article above.
I recommend you add Broadcast Colors to the entire project (above Preview Window).
This will make all the video levels the same and display correctly after rendering.

Regards
Derek

sorry about the jumbled paragraph..thanks for changing it. and thank you, Derek. i played around with the white balance and color correction before submission and it's apparent i didn't know what i was doing because they looked like they were changing just the lightness/darkness of the video. i'll follow your instructions and see what happens. kinda of exciting, isn't it? well...after the stress LOL thanks again.

If you still have BIG problems after applying some White Balance, upload a Still Shot of one frame from a ND filter video that shows the problem.
There are many techniques for fixing colour problems.

Press Save Snapshot button above Preview Window to create a still image.

Derek...i think i'm getting it from your instructions! at least, i'm breathing a little normally now. lol
i'm uploading 4 snaps. they are:
Original nd pic
Adjusted nd pic
4K pic
HD pic
do i need to adjust the other videos, ya think? i'm trying to get them to look professional...hollywood type...so the interview is complimentary to the movie and doesn't look cartoonish.
also, in your opinion, i've been reading about adding top & bottom black lines to the video to create a more cinematic feel...some sites say yes, some say no. what do you think?
and, Derek, thanks for getting back to me so quickly...i really didn't expect that and i'm SO appreciative!

Everything looks great :woohoo:
Your videos look professionally recorded and definitely not amateur.

It takes a long time to learn how to Colour Correct and Grade video.
The more you do it, the more you will learn and get comfortable.
I'm no expert, but I have covered the most important aspects in my Colour Correction tutorial.

When I do a basic Colour Correction for any video, I concentrate on making sure it is White Balanced first, then I add a tiny amount of Brightness & Contrast and finally I add Colour Corrector and pump up the colour just a tiny bit to make it pop.

Leave the black bars off your video !!!
I don't think cinema cropping is necessary for documentaries - it's better to get a full screen effect.
Cinema cropping is more suited for Films - but that also depends on what type of film it is.

Derek, thank you So So much for your immediate responses and detailed instruction. I feel I can deliver this interview with confidence in honoring the Director and having the cast see their hearts on screen in a professional way.
Sent in Donation under ufgt. Thank you for your time to help us all.
Until next time!!

Thank you so much for the donation - that was very generous of you

It's very friendly on the MSZ Forum.
When I'm not online, there are many other knowledgeable forum members who help answer questions about using Vegas.