Why doesn't my travel video look as polished as professional examples?
Asked 1/8/2018
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2 answers
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I'm comparing frames from my own travel video to a frame from a YouTube travel video and want to understand why mine looks less polished. Is the difference mainly due to equipment, framing, camera settings, lens choice, lighting, or post-production? For example, one of my shots has a darker subject against a bright background, while another shot from my footage looks noticeably better. Both of my clips were likely filmed around low ISO, f/1.8, and 60fps. What should I focus on to get cleaner, sharper, more professional-looking video frames?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
5
The second one is pretty simple.
Just adjust the color grading. In this case, the white point is not totally bright, but gray, so simply adjust the curves lowering it.
There is a tendency of making videos dark and less contrasted, In my opinion, it is only a trend thing.
The basic idea behind it is that as displays can render brighter whites, in some cases you do not want a too happy image, so you darken it a bit.
In some cases it is actually the result of using a high bit depth file format, like some RAW video.
The first image is trickier to spot.
It also needs color grading, but it has some obvious illumination issues, mainly because it is backlighted, but also it has a white balance too cold, so it needs to be warmed up.
The blurred background is also hard to spot because it is almost totally flat, so you do not appreciate the bokeh.
You could also have used a reflector to better illuminate the face on this backlight situation.
In this case adjusting the curves gives you a better exposition, without making the whites totally white.
You mentioned "sharpness" on your question. The example image is not sharp at all. But sharpness could be related to the lens or the ISO, but do not be too picky on that.
Try using a tripod if you can and a higher ISO if you can.
Normally the "cinematic look" is not done by using a high framerate, 60p, but a lower one, like 24fps. But that is another issue out of the scope of the forum.
Originally by user37321. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user37321
8y ago
0
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Based on the examples, the biggest difference is lighting, not just camera settings.
Your weaker shot appears backlit: the subject is dark while the background is much brighter. That kind of high contrast is hard to fix cleanly later. The stronger example has more even light on both subject and background, which immediately looks more professional.
Color grading also matters. The professional-looking frame likely has adjusted contrast, white point, and color balance. Your shot may need warming up, since it looks a bit cool, and the tones could be graded for a less harsh, more controlled look.
So the main priorities are:
- improve lighting direction and avoid strong backlight on the subject
- choose angles/backgrounds with less contrast between subject and background
- correct white balance
- apply basic color grading and contrast adjustments in post
Your aperture, ISO, and frame rate alone won’t create that look. Sharpness and “cinematic” quality usually come more from good light, exposure control, and grading than from a single setting or expensive gear.
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